How Long Should You Support Your Adult Kids?

Hi, it’s Leslie, and a few days ago I heard that 68% of parents are still helping to support their adult kids. I did some digging on the internet, and I found wildly varying results, but it looks like anywhere between 50 and 90% of adults are still helping to support their adult kids.

Now this is a bit hard to define. Helping to support the kids could mean something small. For example, we still pay for our adult kids’ phone bills. They are still on our family plan, and it’s only a few dollars a month. If they need a new phone, that’s on them. But of course, it could also mean that adult kids are still living with their parents, and paying little to no rent.

I know someone who has two kids over the age of 25. They both have partners, and he regularly subsidizes them on a monthly basis.

And does it matter how much money everyone has? I know someone whose parents are worth $100 million! So yeah, they regularly give money to their adult kids, who both work full time.

I have mixed feelings how about the whole thing, and to complicate things, my husband and I have disagreed on just how much to help them. If I’m able to help them, and they’re struggling, why shouldn’t I? Well, because I don’t want them to be dependent on me forever. Such a conundrum.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you still help your adult kids? Should people help their adult kids if they’re able to? Let me know in the Facebook comments