What do our parents really think of us?
One woman was confronted with the answer in a video posted to TikTok. In it, Lacey Comeaux (@laceycomeaux10) revealed a book she had come across while stopping by her mother's house, titled When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us. Since it was posted, Comeaux's video has received over 765,000 likes and nearly 7,000 comments.
"Just at my mom's house, you know, letting her dog out. Just looking around at stuff. It's very interesting the stuff you find when you're just looking at stuff at your mom's," Comeaux said in the video, zooming into the book in question.
"I am the oldest," she captioned the video, offering context.
The book, When Our Grown Kids Disappoint Us: Letting Go of Their Problems, Loving Them Anyway and Getting on With Our Lives was written by Jane Adams in 2003. The book says it's "a guide for parents of dysfunctional or inappropriately dependent grown children [offering] supportive advice on how to stop taking on the responsibility of caring for and fixing a grown child's problems while addressing feelings of guilt and frustration."
The first chapter, "The Kids Are All Right and Other Lies Parents Tell About Their Grown Children," explains Adams' revelation among her Baby Boomer friends that not all of their adult children are as well-adjusted as they'd hoped. The chapter explores the "entitlement" of the generation younger than them, the possibility that their children might not be happy, and the possibility that they might be happy even if their children are not.
Judging from the comments, Comeaux is not alone in facing her mom's all-too-illuminating bookshelf. Many commenters chimed in with similar mishaps.
"My mom had a book called Why Good Parents Have Bad Kids," @aleeshjohn316 wrote.
"My mom tells me to not have kids, it's not worth the pain...I'm an only child," @pesocaro wrote.
Some offered inverse experiences and advised Comeaux on possible approaches to finding the book.
"My mom found my Adult Daughters of Narcissistic Mothers book when she visited. I haven't had a moment's peace since," @omgitsbonky wrote.
"I hope the book mentions that it's probably because of the parenting," @jesssiefresh wrote.
"Sign the inside cover like you're the author. Personalize the message with her name and a 'Hope you enjoyed the book,'" @acoloredpast wrote.
For Comeaux, and for many, a mother's disappointment is a tale as old as time. At least they haven't lost their sense of humor.
"My mom died in 1997," @nevertellmenever wrote. "I feel she's channeling me through this."
Newsweek reached out to @laceycomeaux10 for comment via TikTok.
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
