This is a line i hear a lot...

I am not a parent, but, I have a question with regard to parents' perspective toward young adult children.

"You'll never make it in the real world"
"I don't know how you'll ever make it in the real world"
"You don't know anything about the real world!"

You get the idea.

I have heard this line more than a few times, toward myself when I expressed being overwhelmed with my studies; toward a close friend of mine on the heels of what seemed to me to be more of a mis-communication than an outright display of incompetence.

Have you ever said this to your kids? If so, why? What are your thoughts on saying it?

I never said it to my son or my grandkids. Personally I don't think it should be said because it it's a negative comment about the child. You need to say things that will positively influence the child not have them feeling bad about themselves.

I never heard this from my parents. If I had, I can imagine myself thinking the "real world" is a demanding place I probably wouldn't thrive in - pretty demoralizing.

Sounds like envy to me... common with parents I think.

What a ridiculous thing to say though, wtf is the 'real world' anyway? As though kids live somewhere else.

While I would never say those exact words to a child, I have tried to point out to my oldest granddaughter (17) that she knows very little about how things really work in the adult world. At that age they are feeling very adult and knowledgeable. I wouldn't put it as a negative or insult. I put it as trying to help her with information and to try to avoid mistakes.

I guess the point is... life is a journey and we all have to make our own mistakes in the world, otherwise how would we learn? Sometimes making mistakes is the fun part

I have just always found that hurtful...but when i took the time to actually think about it i became more confused than hurt, because what is the 'real world' supposed to be; and, where does that suggest i currently live instead? Plus all it does is make the problem bigger than it was before...curiouser, and curiouser, I say.