5 Painless ways to help your (Grown) kids

Want to give your kids a boost? It’s easy to help them out without straining your pocketbook or energy….if you choose carefully. 

Here are 5 painless ways to help your grown kids:

Take them out to lunch.

Or breakfast. A cup of coffee. Ask them questions — and listen.

Babysit

Take your grandchildren for a few hours…or a weekend. It will give your kids time to rest up, or complete a project they’ve been working on. Give it even more power by making it regular, a time they can count on — say, a morning or day once every other week.

Look after their pets now and then

Are they working at the moment…and you’re not? Stop by the house and walk their dog at lunchtime now and then. Or house-sit while they’re out of town. Our mom just did a week’s stint of watching the dogs and a coopful of chickens while we were on business a few states away. It was a relief to know everything was well cared for — and let us relax and enjoy the time away.

Send them a letter

Tuck in a small gift card (like a $5 gift card you earned by using Swagbucks), or a comic you clipped from yesterday’s paper. Mention that you miss them. (Yes, you can do the same thing with an e-mail…but a letter, they’ll keep.)

Give them the ultimate compliment – treat them like adults

Don’t try to ‘fix’ their problems. If you’ve solved other issues with large amounts of cash, or offering to loan your home, vehicle or other possession — don’t. Let them deal with it this time.

Whether they’re just out of the house, or have grandchildren of their own, it doesn’t matter —

Your kids are still your kids. And they need you.

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