Over a decade ago, when I first became a therapist, I never expected that five years later, my practice would consist of nearly 90% millennials, with the rest of my patients being parents of millennials. Millennials face many challenges today, but the same can be said of their parents. Years of working with parents have shown that the one constant was folks telling me how stressed, frustrated and concerned they felt about their grown children needing too much financial help from them. To illustrate, one mother explained how much she loves her 30-year-old son. She and her husband paid for his college living expenses, but now felt the pressure to help pay for his graduate school tuition. While they aren't wealthy, they also don't want him to worry about future debt. A couple in their mid-50s lamented the fact that their daughter, who is 28 and has a full-time job, was planning to quit her job because it didn't align with her passion. "She's moving back home this summer," the mother said, "but doesn't act like an adult or want to help pay for anything at all. How will she be able to handle future challenges on her own?" Feeling as though he'd failed as a parent, a single father told me he's still paying for his 32-year-old son's car insurance, rent, grocery expenses and cell phone bills. He worried that if things didn't change, he'd have to dip into his retirement savings.

More millennials are relying on parents for financial support

A 2018 report from Country Financial found that more than 50% of all Americans ages 21 to 37 receive some sort of financial assistance from a parent or guardian. But millennials aren't entirely to blame. A report in The New York Times found that, in 1940, a child born in the average American household had a 90% chance of making more money than his or her parents. That has changed. A child born in 1980 has only a 50% chance of earning more than his or her parents. Many factors account for this. The biggest of them is that things ― housing, food, college ― cost more today. Also, many millennials who graduated into the Great Recession had a much harder time launching their career and securing a job with decent pay.

Money is only part of the problem

These financial struggles have led to young people delaying "adulthood." This trend of millennials relying on their parents for financial help is shaping their attitudes toward money and the general responsibilities of adulthood. As a result, parents are starting to feel a mix of frustration and fear ― not just for their adult children's future, but for theirs as well. (According to a recent Bankrate survey, 50% of American parents said they are sacrificing their own retirement savings in order to help their children.) But more often than not, it's not about money. Based on what I've observed as a therapist, unlike baby boomers, Gen X parents invest way more time, energy and resources in their kids. Parents who struggle with their adult kids being too dependent on them need to start teaching their children the coping skills that will help them get through the realities and challenges of adulthood. Here's my advice to parents: 1. Stop making it easy The "Varsity Blues" scandal from earlier this year put a huge spotlight on excessive parenting behaviors. Whether or not we choose to admit it, we're all somewhat guilty of snow-plowing, lawn-mowing and bulldozing obstacles out of our children's way. My husband and I have an 11-year-old son who suffers from anxiety. Despite having extensive knowledge about anxiety as a therapist, I still have the instinctual need to swoop in and rescue him. This is the same mindset I see in my parent patients. But this behavior is what makes children increasingly dependent on their parents as they grow older. The solution? Shift your mindset and decide to stop making things easier for them. If your millennial child is living at home, for example, consider why they're there and how long you're willing to allow them to stay with you. Many parents allow their children to return home because they want to help. Some may enjoy the company, and that's OK, too. But it's important to create what I call a "home contract," in which you set a deadline for when they need to move out, and what you do expect and don't expect from them so long as they're there. If they're employed, encourage them to save a certain amount of their monthly paycheck for future expenses.