Supporting Grown Kids

East Indian FamilyParenting today seems to be a lot more complicated than it was in the past. Do you home school, look for a charter or send your youngsters to public school? How do you protect your teens from bullies, substance abuse and on-line sexual predators? Where do you draw the line between supporting your college-age kids and being a helicopter parent? And now there’s a new set of decisions for parents of adult children – do you pay for their digital expenses even after they’re working and on their own?

A new Harris Interactive survey of parents of kids aged 18 to 35 found that over 40% still pay for their adult children’s cellphone service. Many parents in the study also picked up the tab for their digital entertainment use; over 15% cover mobile Wi-Fi for streaming music, video and films. Costs for these average $108 a month for the parents in the survey, potentially affecting the family budget.

What do you think about paying for your twenty- and thirty-something’s Internet, communication, and entertainment expenses? What do you see as the benefits for continuing to cover them? What are the risks? Let’s start a conversation using the ‘Leave a Reply’ section below.

Check back in on Thursday when I’ll be sharing some ideas about how to stay connected with your adult children while setting expectations to encourage their growing independence.

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