The “little buddy parent” (which morphs, as a child gets older, into the “best friend parent”) sees no separation between their world—their adult conversations and activities—and their children’s. They invite their children’s involvement in decisions; they expend a lot of time and ever so many words on justifications mainly to avoid one word: no. Often this lack of boundaries speaks to a kind of loneliness. Some parents are so focused on their children, and isolated from adult friendships, that they seek a more equal, friendship-based relationship from their kids.
