One of the biggest reasons parents avoid setting boundaries has very little to do with not knowing what the boundary should be. Most of the time, they already know.

The hard part is imagining what might happen afterward.

The emerging adult in your life may get angry. They might accuse you of not s...

You’ve suggested therapy. They said no.

You found a career counsellor, but they weren’t interested. You sent job postings, and they didn’t apply. You suggested a doctor, a support group, a class, volunteering, going back to school, getting more exercise, trying a new routine, or talking to someone....

When the emerging adult in your life is struggling, helping feels like the most natural thing in the world. You make the phone call they’ve been avoiding, cover the bill because they’re short on money, remind them about the appointment, wake them up for work, or smooth things over when they’ve misse...

Here’s an uncomfortable truth I think some parents need to hear: if you repeatedly tell your emerging adult there will be a consequence you know you won’t follow through on, they probably know it too.

Maybe during an argument you’ve said, “If this keeps happening, you’re going to have to move out.”...

Can we stop calling a struggling 19-year-old a “failure to launch”?

I understand why parents use the phrase. Your son or daughter may be sleeping most of the day, gaming or scrolling late into the night, using marijuana regularly, and showing very little interest in making plans for the future. Fro...

How do you have an important conversation with an emerging adult who would rather avoid you completely? And what do you do when bringing up money, work, school, mental health, or responsibility almost always ends with them shutting down or exploding?

For many parents, these conversations have becom...