Dear Pastor,

I am 22 years old, but my dad treats me like I am 16. He does not want me to go out or hang with my friends. He also knows the kind of friends I have. I need your advice on what to do. He doesn't believe anything I tell him and it's killing me.

Pastor, I have been through a lot with my father, you can only imagine, but I still have faith. Thank you for your advice.

M.W., California

Dear M.W.,

Your father finds it difficult to let go. You have to forgive him. A 22-year-old is an adult and she should not get the impression that she cannot be trusted to make her own decisions. Your father's attitude towards you is wrong. If you wanted to be bad, you would be bad.

Parents need to understand that when their children become adults, they can only make suggestions but they should never give the impression that they are controlling them.

Many parents have lost the sweet communion that they could have had with their children if they had made the children feel that they trusted them and that the children could always talk to them without fear of being condemned. Adult children do not wish to be controlled.

Continue to be respectful to your father. You are still living in his house and until you are in a position to be on your own, walk carefully.

Pastor