mom, can i move back in with

you?

a survival guide for parents of twentysomethings

by Linda Perlman Gordon & Susan Morris Shaffer

A guide for the parents of the dazed and confused generation identified in the runaway bestseller Quarterlife Crisis.

Today's twenty-somethings are facing an unprecedented cultural shift in which they're feeling lost, uncertain about the future, and/or in crisis. What used to be the traditional markers of adulthood, from getting married and starting a family to earning a living, are increasingly being delayed-and it's causing as much confusion for parents as for their adult children. Quarterlife Crisis identified the difficulties twenty-somethings are facing. But what about their parents? Guiding your twenty-something kid requires a whole new set of parenting skills. Here, finally, is a book to help parents navigate this tumultuous period in their adult children's lives.

Is it OK to let your kid move back in with you because he can't seem to commit to any one career-and therefore has no paycheck coming in? What do you do when your child calls you and says that her rent is due and she needs some quick cash? Just how involved should parents be in their adult children's lives? And what do twenty-somethings actually want and need from their parents? While parents are facing an urgent need for answers, few experts are talking about the subject, and there is little conventional wisdom to draw from. In this invaluable book, Gordon and Shaffer identify the complex issues these parents are facing and offer wise and effective strategies for successfully parenting a twenty-something "kid."


Reviews:

"My Ophelia is a twentysomething now. This book worked for me. Many of the issues that I thought were just our issues turned out to be universal ones. This book is educational in the best sense of the word. It helps us act more effectively and adaptively in our family environments. I recommend it highly."

- Mary Pipher, author of Reviving Ophelia and Letters to a Young Therapist

"The quarterlife crisis is an adjustment not only for twentysomethings, but also for their parents. Gordon and Shaffer skillfully guide parents through what is often a tough transition for the entire family."

-Abby Wilner, coauthor of Quarterlife Crisis: The Unique Challenges of Life In Your Twenties


About the Authors

Linda Perlman Gordon is a clinical social worker and trained mediator with a private psychotherapy practice in Washington, D.C.

Susan Morris shaffer is the deputy director of The Mid-Atlantic Equity Center, an organization that addresses educational equity and gender-related issues.Within 10 years, there will be 77 million people age 55 and older. The number of Americans over 85 will increase to 4.2 million, an increase of 44 percent in only one decade, according to the U.S. Department on Aging. Despite these numbers, few baby boomers are ready for their parents’ aging, let alone their own. Today, some 15 million children already care for elderly parents.