When Adulthood Feels Out of Reach: Parenting Through a Generation’s Failure to Launch
By Jessica, Therapist & Mom of a Gen Z Adult
We dreamed of their first steps, their graduation day, their first job, their launch into the world.
But for many parents of young adults today—especially those in Generation Z—what we’re seeing instead is stalled progress, emotional overwhelm, and a deep sense of uncertainty about what comes next.
If you're parenting a 20-something who seems stuck, unmotivated, or anxious about taking the next steps in life, you’re not alone. In fact, what you're experiencing has a name: Failure to Launch. And it’s not a personal failing—it's a cultural crisis.
🚧 What Does “Failure to Launch” Really Mean?
It’s more than just your adult child still living at home. It’s the emotional and psychological roadblocks that keep them from stepping into adulthood confidently:
They’re paralyzed by anxiety over making the “wrong” choice.
They struggle with basic life skills like budgeting, job applications, or scheduling appointments.
They feel directionless and overwhelmed by a world that moves too fast and demands too much.
They spend more time online than in person, and often report feeling isolated or depressed.
They’re not lazy. They’re scared. And in many ways, this generation has been set up to struggle.
📉 Gen Z is Facing Unique Cultural Pressures
As a therapist and a mom, I see this from both sides: the young adults sitting in my office and the moms and dads trying so hard to help from the sidelines. Gen Z has grown up in a world of:
Relentless social media comparison
A global pandemic during key developmental years
Crushing student debt and economic uncertainty
The highest levels of anxiety and depression ever recorded in youth
A lack of real-world experience due to overprotection or digital dependence
We told them they could be anything—but we didn’t prepare them for the reality that becoming something requires effort, failure, and growth.
🧭 You Are Not a Bad Parent
If you're reading this and thinking, “Where did I go wrong?”—please hear me: you didn’t fail.
Our culture has shifted dramatically in the last two decades, and many of us are parenting through challenges no one prepared us for. What worked for Boomers and Gen X just doesn’t cut it anymore. We have to approach things differently now—with grace, honesty, and a commitment to helping them grow up without shaming them for where they are.
📚 What Can We Do?
I’ve decided to read a series of books that speak directly to the challenges Gen Z is facing—and I’ll be sharing my thoughts as both a professional and a parent. Here’s the list:
iGen – Jean Twenge
The Coddling of the American Mind – Greg Lukianoff & Jonathan Haidt
Generation Z: A Century in the Making – Corey Seemiller & Meghan Grace
Kids These Days – Malcolm Harris
Stolen Focus – Johann Hari
The Vanishing American Adult – Ben Sasse
Failure to Launch – Mark McConville, Ph.D.
Lost in Transition – Christian Smith
Glow Kids – Nicholas Kardaras
The Anxious Generation – Jonathan Haidt
These authors offer insight into how we got here—and how we might help our kids find their footing again.
🤝 Let’s Learn Together
This isn’t just about understanding “what’s wrong” with our kids. It’s about reclaiming hope—for their future and ours. I’ll be posting reviews, reflections, and real-life applications from each book, with the goal of offering practical tools and encouragement to parents who are walking this same path.
Let’s work together to raise a generation that not only survives… but thrives.
You're not alone, and it’s not too late.
Stay tuned. 💬
And if you’ve read any of these books—or are watching your own child struggle—I’d love to hear from you in my social media or via email!
