ABSTRACT
Money is the easiest and the hardest. Having no intrinsic value of its own, it reflects one’s feelings about oneself very clearly. In the context of the clients I have worked with, there is a complete spectrum from people having no control over their money whatsoever, either spending it all or letting their parents manage it with no sense of ownership, to people with complete control, who either let no money out of their control or keep their financial situation entirely secret, apparently coping fine. I have also met those in the middle, who just pay their bills as they arrive and give themselves a reasonable allowance which they can spend on whatever they choose. In the context of the families I have met, some have a distant control by maintaining complete access to their son’s accounts, checking on a weekly basis. Others just pay all the bills, allowing the son to keep all his income. A few just seem to leave him to it. However, money discussions can easily be sabotaged by hot emotion, as can many other important topics.
