If you have lost your life partner, anxious moments may occur as you individuate and adjust to meet the needs of your children—or fit into the lives of adult children—who are now without a father or mother. Regardless of the ages of your children, your role as parent without the equal and opposite presence of your husband or wife is different—imperceptibly redefined. This is a kind of forced individuation. Young children and even teens may demand more of your time and energy. Grown children may perceive you as more dependent and in need of a substitute husband or wife, a role you neither desire nor want them to fulfill. You may feel ignored or hurt if they presume on your strength when, in fact, you need their support. In turn, they may feel inadequate to satisfy your emotional and physical needs. Whatever your loss, rebalancing relationships within a permanently altered family structure is an emotional complication of grief, especially as imperceptibly you continue to individuate.