America has a parenting problem. Were raising our kids to be dependent adults financially coddled long past the point of reason. And its not just hurting them. Its killing our retirement.As a parent of three children aged 23, 25 and 27, I get asked all the time about when the right time is to get your kids off the family payroll. When should you "kick" them out of the house? When should they get off the family mobile phone bill? When should they take over their own car insurance?Over the past 10 years, Ive seen firsthand how Baby Boomer and Gen X parents sabotage their golden years trying to bankroll their grown childrens lives. Enough is enough. If your kid is 25, has a college degree, and still expects you to Venmo them money for their You Tube TV bill, its time for a family intervention not another handout.Lets talk about why its time to cut the cord and how to do it without wrecking your family dynamics or your future.FOUNDING FATHERS UNDERSTOOD PARENTAL RIGHTS ARE NATURAL RIGHTS. TRUMP KNOWS IT, TOOAccording to Pew Research, over50% of Americans aged 18 to 29are living at home with their parents. Have we become Italy? Let that sink in. More than half of young adults are still sleeping in their childhood bedrooms, many of them not paying rent, utilities or even their own Netflix subscriptions.Is this really because inflation has grown massively over the past five years?Instead, weve raised and coddled a generation of kids with participation trophies and safety nets so wide they dont know what it means to fall and get back up. My career started with having $67 to my name in a Boston BayBank account and living in Section 8 housing in South Boston. It motivated me to work hard and become a big success.You could argue though, its not entirely their fault. In 1980, the home to income ratio was 2 to 1 and now in 2025 its 6 to 1. Wages simply have not kept up with the cost of real estate. College is more expensive, grocery prices have skyrocketed, and new and used car prices are at an all-time high.WHY CODDLING OUR CHILDREN ULTIMATELY HURTS THEMBut theres a fine line between helping and enabling. And right now, too many parents are crossing it.The right time to get your kids off the family payroll?Between 22 and 25, no exceptions. By that age, they should be working, budgeting and learning how to manage money without your daily deposits.Im not saying you shouldnt help them through school or during a job transition. But after graduation or a reasonable gap year its time for them to face the real world. If theyre still living at home, they need to contribute. Charge rent. Ask them to pay their share of groceries and utilities. Hold them accountable.Parents often ask me whats OK to cover after their kids turn 22. Heres the short list:THE CHILDREN WE LEFT BEHIND: A RECKONING WITH AMERICAS GROWING FATHERLESSNESSEverything else rent, car insurance, cell phone, credit cards, student loans, groceries, even gas should be on them. Yes, its hard. But thats life. And its far better to teach financial responsibility now than watch them flounder at 35 because no one made them pay a bill. You only value what you earn, not whats given to you.Heres what nobody wants to say out loud:you cant retire on guilt.Every dollar you spend bailing out your adult children is a dollar youre not putting into your 401(k), IRA or savings. Over time, it adds up big time and why many people now must work into their 70s.A recent Merrill Lynch study showed that parents spend an average of$500 per monthsupporting adult children. Thats $6,000 a year. Over a decade, thats $60,000 money that could grow your nest egg or pay off your mortgage.If you dont start protecting your own future, whos going to support you later? Your kid who doesnt know how to write a check?CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINIONYou dont need to be mean. You need to be clear.Happiness is about expectations met or unmet, so its time to set expectations. Sit down with your kids and lay out a plan:Set a deadline: "In six months, youll be covering your own car insurance and phone bill."Charge rent if theyre living at home: Even a few hundred bucks builds responsibility. If you want to save it and give it to them when they leave, that could make perfect sense.Offer tools, not bailouts: Teach them to budget, apply for jobs and build credit.Share your retirement goals: Let them see the bigger picture your financial health matters, too.Loving your kids doesnt mean supporting them forever. It means preparing them to stand on their own two feet. If you really want to help them, stop being their bank. Give them the skills and motivation to earn their own paycheck and protect yours.Because in the end, your job isnt to raise kids. Its to raise adults.CLICK HERE TO READ MORE FROM TED JENKIN