You Love Your Adult Child
You want to support them as much as possible. But, they’re grown now and you would like them to live on their own and support themselves. Instead, they’re still living at home and you’re still parenting them in the same way you did when they were younger.
This is called failure to launch syndrome. And although it is not a medical diagnosis, it’s a very real thing many parents deal with. In fact, young adult therapists like myself are noticing it happening at an alarming rate. Failure to launch occurs when your adult child doesn’t want to grow up. It often affects young adult men. But, it also does not exclude women from experiencing this problem.
Some signs your child may be dealing with failure to launch include:
Becoming withdrawn from society- Child or teenage-like behavior
- Living at home with or without prior attempts at independent living
- Antisocial tendencies
- Unemployment or poor work ethic
- Dropping out of school
- Failure to provide financial support for themselves
- Asking for support doing chores or other adult tasks
- Lack of motivation to better themselves
- No desire or plans for independence
- Trouble expressing emotions
- Possible alcohol or substance misuse
Now to be clear, your child may be living at home or have fallen on some tough times. That does not exactly mean you’re dealing with a failure to launch situation. We often consider this a problem when an adult child has been dependent on their parent for quite some time. But, the true marker of this issue is how you as parents feel about their behavior. Are they are showing some of these signs? If you’re concerned or frustrated with their behavior, then yes, it may be time to reach out.
It can be tempting to support this and coddle them while they live in your home. But, you know in your heart that this doesn’t foster the kind of life skills you want your child to have as an adult. Furthermore, it can be very frustrating to have to care and look out for them. Especially when you know they’re capable of doing it themselves.
Taking that Next Step
When a young adult is going through this, they may develop a sense of poor self-esteem. They may want to move forward with their lives, but be unsure of how to do so. They may also be dealing with other health struggles keeping them from achieving independence. So, it’s important for parents to take a step back and examine the situation in a compassionate way. If your child is struggling, then we have to ask ourselves “how can we help them be successful?”
Life transitions therapy can be successful in giving your young adult what they need to manage distress. A young adult therapist can help carve a path forward towards independence and happiness. Your son or daughter’s therapist can help them figure out what may have contributed to their current lifestyle. These things may have kept them feeling stuck in the past and unable to move forward. A young adult therapist can also help your child cope with stressors so they no longer harm self-esteem. In the end, a young adult therapist can help your child overcome the past and move forward. They will help them grow in a way that helps them lead a successful adult life.
If you as a parent are feeling stuck or overwhelmed, then therapy can help you too. Counseling offers a unique opportunity to talk about what is bothering you in a safe, non-judgemental place. Then, your young adult therapist will help you learn and practice practical parenting tools. Together, you can work to cultivate a healthy relationship with your child.
Begin Young Adult Therapy in Roswell, GA
You and your adult child deserve support in navigating through life transitions. A caring therapist from our team would be happy to support both you and your child as you grow together. We offer support from our Atlanta, GA-based therapy practice. To start your therapy journey, please follow these simple steps:
- Contact Wellview Counseling
- Meet with a caring young adult therapist
- Start enjoying adulthood
Other Services Offered at Wellview Counseling
Young adult therapy isn’t the only service we provide at our Atlanta, GA-based counseling practice. We offer anxiety treatment, PTSD and trauma treatment, chronic illness counseling, and therapy for postpartum anxiety and depression. We also offer play therapy, child counseling, family therapy, individual counseling. Contact us to learn more about our social skills groups for kids, young adult support groups, and parent education classes. Learn more about our online services via online therapy in Georgia. Contact our Atlanta area mental health clinic to learn more today!