Amanda Head: You Won’t Believe How Many Adults Still Mooch Off Their Parents

We are in a generation that wants independence and self-reliance but are faced with fewer opportunities that are capable of sustaining which leads to no stability, frequent stress, and chronic health conditions. There is only so much hustle that a person can sustain before they simply burn out and give up. I see it in the faces of people who are clearly desperate for something more substantial to hang on to. Those that are living with parents are not all a bunch of dead beats but, as you suggest, some of their parents are and setting a very poor example and failing to communicate effectively. Being authoritarian and issuing ultimatums sometimes works with juveniles but doesn’t work with adults. Adults respond when they have options, lots of them with clear benefits. For the shell shocked need to start small with a sequence of successes to rebuild confidence that there is a meaningful future for them that does not depend on you. Part of your job is to make other alternatives much less desirable.