What is Failure to Launch and Does My Kid Suffer From it?
We’ve all been there. You come home and your grown child is still sitting on the couch playing video games, eating pizza, and watching TV. The “failure to launch” syndrome is a real thing–and it’s not just an older person’s problem! Parents need to know about this phenomenon to help their kids before any long-term damage is done. There are ways that parents can help their adult children get back out in the world and start living life again!
This blog post will explore what failure to launch means, how common it is among young people today, and some solutions that will hopefully work for you if your child suffers from it.
What is failure to launch?
Failure to Launch is the failure of a twenty-something or thirty-something year old, who still lives at home with his parents. It became a popular term in the 2000s, but has been around since people have had youth living at home after they’ve reached adulthood.
Failure to launch typically occurs when an individual no longer feels connected to his parents and feels the need to move out but lacks motivation or an ability to make it happen.
Failure to launch is indeed a failure on a certain level. They’ve moved beyond childhood, yet they still lack the motivation and drive to do what needs to be done to live life on their own.
Someone who suffers from failure to launch syndrome has not established a life for themselves, nor does they have any plans to do so. They’re stuck right where their parents left them and may never establish the life they crave for themselves or the future families they wish to have someday.
Signs of failure to launch
There are some signs that you can look for if failure to launch syndrome is affecting your child. If these signs are present, failure to launch may be a problem in their life:
- Lack of motivation
- Poor work ethic
- Avoiding responsibility
- Poor self-image and confidence (a psychological disorder)
- Feeling like he’s entitled to everything
- Irresponsibility around bills and things that need to get done (for example, failure to pay a phone bill or failure to show up for work)
- No real friends of his own age group. He may only have friends who are significantly older or younger than him.
- Isolation from peers and failure to socialize
- Isolation from family (i.e., they really don’t want to spend time with you or stay at home)
Treatment options for a child with failure to launch
Treatment will vary depending on the individual and his family. The most important thing is that he is willing to seek treatment. If your child doesn’t want to get help, it will be hard for you or any other parent to support him until he wants it himself.
It’s always wise to try therapy with failure to launch syndrome. At FixFailure2Launch we can delve deep into the issues that your adult child is having and create an action plan with them to solve them.
Apart from this, there are other ways to help failure to launch syndrome. Failure needs to launch sufferers to have a job that they’ll be responsible for. It can also help them out if they have athletic activities or extracurricular hobbies outside of school that they can do while living at home. If the failure to launch victim has an interest in something, he will have no choice but to get involved.
Also, failure to launch is often caused by a lack of motivation and inspiration. Therefore, parents need to show their failure to launch syndrome sufferers that they believe in him and his ability to make it independently. Failure to launch sufferers need support from their families as well as the motivation and inspiration to do what they need to do. At FixFailure2Launch, we also work closely with the parents on enabling and codependency.
Parenting tips for helping your kid avoid this condition.
As a parent, failure to launch syndrome can be a real pain. It’s hard for you to watch your child not do what he needs to do for him to have the life that he deserves. As his parent, failure to launch syndrome is frustrating, but there are ways that you can help him prevent this condition:
Inspire your failure to launch child
Encourage him
Keep the lines of communication open by talking with him about failure to launch syndrome
Do not pressure failure to launch sufferers into doing something that they don’t want to do
Encourage them to go after their dreams and reach for what they want out of life (and maybe help them achieve it)
It’s not a lost cause.
Unfortunately, failure to launch syndrome is not a thing of the past; it’s still alive and well in today’s society. Don’t be surprised if your child suffers from a failure to launch syndrome or if you see symptoms in other young people around you.
This failure to launch disorder can be hard on families, but you can prevent failure to launch syndrome. Success is possible if you’re willing to try out failure to launch syndrome treatment options and work together as a family.
Reach out to our elite team at 1.800.706.0318 ext 1
