What kind of standards of conduct and behavior should parents impose upon an adult child living in their home? Our single 29-year-old daughter lives with us in separate quarters off of the main house. She knows how deeply we feel about marriage as the only appropriate context for sexual expression, but she’s made a habit …
Ages 19+ (Adult Children) Q&A
How do I know when it’s time to ask my adult child to leave? Our oldest is a high-school graduate who refuses to look for a job. He just lies around the house and eats all our food. He won’t help with chores, and he defies our wishes by vaping and drinking at home. And …
Now that our son is over 18, should he still obey us? The Bible says that children should obey and submit to their parents (Ephesians 6:1; Colossians 3:20). But our son says that because he’s an adult, this commandment doesn’t apply to him anymore. When does an adult child become fully independent of his parents’ …
How do we deal with an adult child who has no job, is living in our basement, and drawing heavily on our financial resources? My husband and I can’t agree on the best way to handle this situation, and it’s becoming a real strain on our relationship. What should we do?
Is it normal for married adult children to become disconnected from their parents? There’s a coldness, distance, and separation that’s crept into my relationship with my adult daughter, and I think her spouse may have something to do with it. What have I done wrong? How do I show my concern and let her know …
As a parent and grandparent, should I step in to help if I feel that my son-in-law is not caring properly for my daughter and my grandchildren? What makes this especially difficult is that his actions (or lack thereof) could put his family’s safety at risk. For example, he constantly forgets to put oil in …
Should we provide financial assistance to our middle-aged adult children? Our son-in-law just lost his job. He’s always made a good living but has struggled with serious health issues that have placed a burden on their finances. Our daughter has never once offered to help with their income by seeking work of any kind. I’m …
As a Christian father, should I give my daughter away at the wedding if she’s marrying a non-believer? Over the more than twenty years of our marriage we’ve worked hard to raise her in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Her decision has come as a great disappointment to us. We love our daughter, …
As Christian parents, should we attend our son’s wedding if he’s marrying an non-believer? Over the more than twenty years of our marriage we’ve worked hard to raise him in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. Now, to our great disappointment, he has made a decision to marry a non-Christian. We love our child, …
Are we right to be worried about our daughter’s decision to move in with her boyfriend? When we found out she that she was living with him, we told her we felt it was immoral. She said our values were “old fashioned” and argued that living together is the best way to test a couple’s …
