Your child is slowly growing up. Peer friends, the clique and like-minded people become more important and push parents out of their place. Cause for concern? No! Even if you have the feeling that your influence is waning: Parents remain important relationship figures. As a mother and father, you give your children secure support within the family during this important phase of finding their identity.

Now is the time to take a close look at educational and career choices for the future. After all, important decisions will soon have to be made as school graduation approaches. After graduating from secondary school, secondary modern school or technical college, is dual vocational training an option or should I continue with school-based training? Are there good career prospects even without a school-leaving certificate?

The following questions also need to be answered: What qualifications are required for the dream job? Which subject is best suited to personal strengths and talents? What does a promising application look like? It is not always easy to find your way through the jungle of career choices. School leavers in NRW can take advantage of many guidance services. Here on the Familienportal.NRW you will find helpful information and links for online research on paths and opportunities for the time after school.

The older the children get, the better the conditions for returning to work after a long family phase. Do you have any questions? There are numerous advisory services for you. Take advantage of the support services for a successful return to work. Find out more in the Work & Family section.

Adolescence is over: your child is now of legal age and an adult from a legal perspective. This step towards independence is important for the development of young adults. Parents know this and may still feel anxious about letting go of their child. How will the relationship change? What role do parents take on in the life span between the ages of 18 and 25?

Even when custody ends, as parents you remain an important companion - for life. The family is the most important advisor when it comes to questions about the future. For example, which career choice is the right one. You can advise your child in the search for the right educational path. The Familienportal.NRW provides tips and helpful links about career paths and opportunities - even in the event that the chosen path turns out not to be the right one.

Your son is doing an apprenticeship, your daughter is studying or is in a phase of career orientation? Children are usually still financially dependent on their parents for some time. Click on Financial & Formal Matters to find useful information on what support options are available and what is important financially now.

When children leave their parents' home for good at the latest, the partnership becomes more of a focus again. Sometimes it's hard to say goodbye to family time. If emptiness and loneliness set in, it could be due to empty nest syndrome. Find out how you can let go without losing the inner bond of the parent-child relationship when daughters and sons are becoming more and more isolated.