Or, Let’s Go to the Videotape!

How old do you have to be to be considered a “grownup”? For some people, it’s 18 or 21; for others, it’s not a precise age, but the distinction of becoming finally self sufficient, for example, having one’s own place to live and a good job. Of course, for many of us, in the eyes of our parents, the answer is: never.

Lana Maxwell is 52 and lives in Philadelphia. Her parents, Sam and Ethel, are both in their 80s, and live in New York City.

Sam and Ethel are both highly educated retired teachers, and, as far as they’re concerned, perfectly self-sufficient. Lana, on the other hand, has always been the baby of the family—someone who needed a lot of help. And, it’s true, she has had some struggles in her life, and her parents always took care of her when she was in a jam.

Old history, to Lana. But to her parents, the impression persists.

So, the problem for Lana became: how could she make the transition from being the child in the family to the responsible party—particularly when she had a history of being the needy one? (more…)