INSANE: Parents treat adult kids like children | Rare Historical Photos

Anisa Lewis explained that when children grow up and leave home, it does leave a hole in a parent's world. “They have for the past x number of years (depending on the child’s age) put that child at the center of their world and it can be a hard adjustment for parents.”

She also argues that it may also be a joyous time or one of gratitude for raising a child who is able now to stand on their own two feet. “At the end of the day, children of whatever age will always be their parents ‘baby,’ letting go for some parents might just be harder for some than others.”

In some cases, “it could also be that the grown child still needs a parent figure or due to family dynamics they resort back to childlike behaviors or patterns. Families are so interesting!” Anisa explained.

Sometimes, adult children may feel overwhelmed with all the attention they get from their parents. Anisa confirmed that it indeed can be overwhelming to still be parented when you yourself are an adult.

“My advice is to open up and communicate, don’t bottle things up. Use ‘I feel’ statements to speak to your parent(s), come from a place of love and gratitude for all that they have done and perhaps are still doing but be open and honest with where you are at and what you want,” she said.

“Perhaps you can problem solve together to work out a solution that will work for everyone, it could be a way to build the family bond and make it even stronger by finding a united way forward,” the parenting coach concluded.

In some rarer cases, treating an adult like a child can have serious consequences. In psychology, it’s known as infantilization, which creates a cycle of dependence in which the adult constantly needs to be told what to do and how to do it.

Southern Mississippi researchers believe that it’s the excessive control involved in overparenting that is at the heart of the difficulties that children of narcissistic parents can experience. According to this article from Psychology Today, Winner and Nicholson define “parental psychological control” (PPC) as emotional intrusion, not just the attempts to limit the child from becoming a grown-up.

Moreover, a growing body of research suggests that the potential for parents to go too far in their desire to remain prominent and involved within their children’s lives appears to be linked to the development of narcissistic traits.

Susan Krauss Whitbourne, Ph.D., ABPP, a professor of psychological and brain sciences at the University of Massachusetts Amherst, argues that “we do not know what their parents were actually like, but the existence of this relationship suggests how narcissism can be passed on from generation to generation.”

“Parents who dig around in the emotional lives of their children will produce children who may, in turn, feel that this is the best way to raise a child. The Winner and Nicholson study sheds light on one step in the process: the recollection by children of how their parents treat them.”