No matter how old their children get, some parents feel responsible for doing everything they can to help them succeed. This can lead to parents treating their grown kids as though they are teenagers, and it’s tough to discern whether they’re helping or holding their children back.

The author of the blog A Gai Shan Life evaluates her own family life in a post, reasoning that methods like those her father used could be counterproductive to letting grown-up kids grow up. She says her dad would never ask a child to pay rent or move out. Although it’s nice to have such a safety net in place, she reasons the comfort takes away some motivation to learn to fend for yourself.

What sort of help have you asked for and received from your parents? What would you change in the way you deal with your own kids?

The high costs of Parenting Fails, or a Bad Seed, Part 2 [A Gai Shan Life]

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