Parents and Children Working Together

I often hear from friends who complain about their children who work with them in the family business. I also hear from their children, some of whom are young adults, others are middle-aged, complaining bitterly about over-supervision and a lack of autonomy and trust. One young woman with an MBA told me that her mother checks up on her work more than she does on that of any other employee.

What is going on?

One may well ask whether it is the children who cannot accept any authority from the parent whom they so recently struggled to gain some independence from, or whether, indeed, it is the parents who cannot let go of controlling their child?

Let us examine the dynamics of both possibilities.

One of the major tasks of growing up is growing away from one’s parents. For young people to be able to stand on their own two feet, they must be able to differentiate themselves from their parents. They need to test parental value systems, lifestyles, beliefs, and goals in order to see if these fit their own values and styles. They do this by trying out different beliefs, new ways of living, and by having friends that their parents disapprove of. We call this adolescent rebellion.

Even though the child may be well beyond the so-called “rebellious years,” remnants of this effort to distance oneself may remain. Even when I was in my mid-70s and my mother was in her mid-90s, I still sometimes startled at the strength of my reactions when she criticized me. This is a parent-child dynamic that lasts a lifetime.

So it is no wonder that a child may resist any parental attempt—no matter how legitimate—to control. It may be a helpful suggestion that is taken as criticism or a mild criticism that is perceived as strong disapproval. The push for autonomy from one’s parents is so strong that any supervision is felt as overly controlling.

Children want to please their parents and care so much for what they think that they exaggerate—in their own minds—any parental reaction that is less than absolutely positive. Every child, from infancy through adulthood, wears a little invisible sign around his or her neck that says: “Mom, Dad, please admire me!”

The other possibility, that indeed the parent is a very difficult boss, should also be explored. As children grow older, it is difficult to see them as adults. I still give unsolicited psychological advice to my 62-year-old daughter who has a Ph.D. in psychology and business advice to my 60-year-old son with an MBA from Harvard.

Parents remember all the foolish things their kids used to say and do and still attribute that potential to their grown sons and daughters. They still believe that their own judgment must be better than their child’s.

Parents do tend to over-supervise their own children. Whereas a mother or father may overlook an employee’s minor errors, they would notice every mistake their son or daughter made and overreact. In other words, the expectations of performance are higher for children, thus placing additional burdens on these children who feel under observation all of the time. If children do well, it’s a chip off the old block. If they don’t, then it is perceived as an embarrassing reflection on the parent.

Some parents exaggerate their children’s achievements and give them responsibilities too soon: some parents underrate their children and continue to keep them in subordinate positions longer than is warranted. Either way, it has little to do with reality. Also, other employees often believe that bosses’ children are unfairly given advantages and may resent it, adding to the problem.

Also if the child takes a position different from the parent, that parent may feel betrayed. Family loyalty  and affection get confused with work decisions.

Parents generally have trouble giving up control, and when it’s time to retire many stay on becoming burdens to their children—who would normally pension-off aging employees but cannot because it’s Mom or Dad.

If relationships at work are too fraught with tension, it may be important to the child to prove him- or herself elsewhere, before the parent can accept that child as a valuable member of the team.

There is really only one solution to the problems of parents and children in the same business. It is to talk openly about the one’s need for control and the other’s need for autonomy. There must be constant reassurance about loyalty, commitment, and love. Although these should not be at stake because of a difference of opinion, they often are.

My Mother Complains That

I’ve gained weight

my hair isn’t right

my dress is unbecoming

I wasn’t polite

it matters not

that she complains

what matters

is that it still matters

Copyright © 2012. Natasha Josefowitz. All rights reserved.