If You're Still Waking Your Emerging Adult Up for Work, Read This
Sep 01, 2025
Parents, if you’re still waking your emerging adult up every morning for work, I need to lovingly challenge you on that.
I understand the fear.
You’re thinking, “If I don’t wake them, they’ll lose their job.”
And yes, they might.
But if you are the only reason they’re getting to work on time, then let’s be honest:
That job isn’t their success, it’s yours.
From Rescuing to Releasing
When we step in and take over tasks our emerging adults should be handling, we rob them of the very thing they need most: ownership.
That doesn’t mean throwing them into the deep end without warning.
It means creating a transition with clear communication and expectations.
Say something like:
“I’ve been waking you up every day for work, but that’s not sustainable. Let’s set a date next week when you’ll fully take over that responsibility.”
Let them know you’re not abandoning them, you’re inviting them into adulthood.
Help Them Prepare (Then Step Back)
You can support the shift without doing it for them.
Offer to help them come up with a plan:
- Have them pick out 1-2 alarm clocks
- Place the phone or alarm clock(s) across the room
- Talk through a morning routine that works for them
Then let go.
If they oversleep, let the natural consequence happen. That’s how growth takes root, not through nagging, but through experience.
Letting Go Isn’t Giving Up
Your job is not to manage their mornings forever.
Your job is to give them the space to build the skill and own the outcome.
That’s the work of launching, slowly letting go, even when it’s uncomfortable.
Even when they stumble.
You’re not giving up on them.
You’re giving them back responsibility, and that’s what they need.
If you’re stuck between rescuing and releasing, join us in the Empowered Parents of Emerging Adults group. We talk about how to set boundaries, communicate with compassion, and stop parenting from panic.
