Your baby isn't a baby anymore! She's an adult now, making her way for the first time on her own. There are a few conversations you should have with your child to prepare her for the road ahead.
Living on Their Own
Talk to your adult child about how to survive in the real world on their own. While we might take some things for granted—like how to use a washing machine—you need to make sure your child knows, too! You should also teach her how to keep her home or apartment clean and organized—and throwing in a cooking lesson or two won't hurt either.
Managing Their Money
Encourage your young adult child to set up long and short term goals for saving—including retirement accounts. And don't forget about credit cards! A lot of times people see their first credit card as a large chunk of cash ready for the spending—that could set them up for big problems. Discuss how to choose a credit card and why it's important to pay the balance in full every month.
You should also educate them on how to make a budget and anticipate the costs of monthly expenses including rent, food, utilities, insurance, etc.
Dating and Relationships.
Dating becomes harder for young adults as they start to consider long-term relationships, marriage and starting a family. Support your adult child's relationships, but encourage him or her to be cautious, thoughtful and caring in their decisions.
How to Get—and Keep—a Job
You want your children to succeed—so give them the tools to do so! Help them develop an impressive resume and work with them to build good interviewing skills. And stress that for many jobs, appearance counts: Talk to them about appropriate dress in the workplace.
Being a Good Citizen
Tell your adult children about the importance and privilege of voting. Encourage them to participate in civic activities—be it with a service organization, church or civic group. It is up to you to show them the rewards of volunteerism and charitable giving.
