Or … how much is too much support, when it come to parenting and setting boundaries with your young adult?
Recently I posted on Facebook about a call I made to Centrelink on behalf of Mr 21. I knew there would be a lot of others who would feel my pain – at not only having to wait on hold for nearly half an hour – but then to be given the incorrect information!
But some of you wanted to know why *I* was making the call, and not Mr 21 himself. It might seem like over-parenting and molly-coddling, but I believe the end justifies the means. Let me explain …
Boundaries with your Young Adult
Mr 21 left his fast food job in May (while we were overseas, grrrrr – not much we could do about it from over there!) as he is keen to transition into a career in administration or similar.
However finding a new job is proving difficult (we did warn him it would be a challenge to find a job in an office without relevant experience – especially now he isn’t on junior rates anymore!), and not surprisingly, he is growing discouraged. It seems every time we turn on the TV there is yet another story about youth unemployment …
Luckily he’s had some money saved, which is why we haven’t approached Centrelink before. It was only when he tried to register with local employment agencies that he discovered he had to be registered with Centrelink first … hence my phone call to enquire about the process. Because if I didn’t make that phone call, I knew it wouldn’t happen.
The End Justifies the Means …
Am I molly-coddling him? How much support is too much support when you have a grown child? As I said before, I feel the end justifies the means … and I will do whatever I can to support him in finding new employment! (I may also have a secret fear that he will wind up unemployed and still living at home at 30 … ).
I know (from past experience), that once Mr 21 is in a new job, he will grow in confidence and maturity even more – he is a hard worker, dedicated, with great attention to detail, courteous, and well-liked and respected by his workmates (so if you know any office jobs going in Brisbane that he should apply for, do let me know, won’t you?!).
Tell me, what are your boundaries with your young adult? And how much support is too much support, when it comes to parenting your adult child?