‘It’s a weird dynamic’: the US parents financially supporting their adult children

‘I look at my children, and feel irresponsible to have had them, and I look at my mother, and ache about the position I’m putting her in.’ Photograph: Richard Levine/Alamy

Roberto, 60, from Santa Cruz, California, has been giving his adult son $2,000 each month since last summer, to help him cover his living costs.

“My son is 29,” he says, “he has a college degree in maths and finished an intensive three-month boot camp in data analysis 10 months ago, which cost $15,000. He has been looking for a job matching his training and abilities but has not found anything so far. He and his wife are renting a small studio, and my payments basically cover the rent. I have been supporting him in this way for the past seven or eight months.”