What do parents typically pay for for their adult children?

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This is just me being nosey really and seeing what other people’s families are like. Question as in the title, what do your parents pay for? Ours pay for holidays, meals out and clothes for the grandchildren. If I have money when we are older I would love to treat our children and grandchildren and pay for things for them. If you’re the parent/grandparents, what do you pay for for your children? I’m on about adult children that don’t live with you. I know some grandparents pay mortgage payments and school fees! I’m not so much asking on opinions, I know peoples opinions will differ on this.

Small Christmas and birthday presents from both sides. Years ago, MIL would buy the odd item of toddler clothing at TKMax or in sales. My Dad gives my children (21 and nearly 18) the odd cash gift, which is much appreciated.
Paying for holidays or regular clothes shopping has never happened.

I'd like to be more generous to my children if I can and give them some money for deposits, etc. I wouldn't want to pay their household bills tbh (unless it was an emergency like a job loss), I'd prefer to give them a lump sum when I can and let them manage their own finances.

My parents helped fairly significantly with IVF costs. This week has been a very expensive week for me for one reason or another and my dad messaged to say he'd popped £1k in my bank to help out. Generally if we go on holiday then they will pay for the accommodation so the rest of us only have to pay for flights/ spending money. It is really appreciated by all of us children as we have families now and despite all having good jobs, life is expensive!

@MyOliveViewer Just my opinion, but might it be better to give them lump sums to invest and manage, rather than paying towards their mortgages, for example? You don't want them to become too financially reliant on you.

Nothing regular or huge like rent payments or lump sums, but my mum helped me out a few times at uni, gives me cash for special occasions, will treat me to a few bits if we go shopping together, and always pays when we go out to eat (probably a few times a month)

My parents pay for bits and bobs. They will help with our kids uniforms if needed, if they take us out for a meal generally they will pay, they have paid partly for us to all go away together on some
occasions. They pay for violin lessons for our oldest girl. I think they would like to pay more but they can’t and want to enjoy their retirement which will be soon. I consider us lucky to have them help with anything at all…

Same. I have been financially independent since I was 13. My parents stopped buying me anything as soon as I got my first paper round. Just me, not my siblings 🤔 My kids used to get a whatsapp message on their birthday, no card or visit. I went no contact 2 years ago and haven't looked back.

My in laws are very generous and help as much as they can.

We plan to help our children in the same way.

Nothing since Uni. No problem with that. Where we live, DP and I are unusual in that we have no family support on either side, either financially or with childcare.

My husband's nan pays for school shoes and has occasionally contributed towards holidays. MIL is incredibly generous and helps with as much as she can - bought a new washing machine when ours died, brings round kids and our favourite foods as treats on her way back from her weekly shop (lives 5 mins away), gives money for a meal out or fuel when we go away, gave us 3k towards our wedding. My own parents are lovely too and help with time, but don't help financially at all. We feel extremely lucky to have them all.

My parents give large chunks of money periodically; my siblings have used this for house deposits. My dad makes an effort to sort out any car issues I have. They also pay for holidays if we all go away together and meals if we are together. We do offer to pay but they insist. I am very appreciative of the support & the choices it brings. I think they are even more financially supportive of my brothers who are younger than me and less ‘settled’ in life.
They have been very lucky in life and also made good decisions which have led them to be comfortable and more. I would like to be able to do the same for my kids but I’m not sure we will have as much cash at their ages.

Nothing moved out at 18 she use to give me £20 for Xmas and bday but now she doesn’t do Xmas presents not even for my kids . Let’s just say I won’t be helping in old age .

I contribute to nursery costs and paid for a therapy that one of my DGDs needed. I generally pay for meals out etc, but I let them occasionally buy coffees and lunches because I think it's important forthem to have chance to be the giver.
I also fund a family UK break annually, if everyone's availability allows.

I've twice given each of them a significant amount from my savings, as I have more than I need, and their need is greater than mine. I hope that it will mainly be used for their next step up the property ladder or home improvement. But it's down to them, of course

Between both sets of parents we have private school nursery (will have school fees when the time comes), holidays when we go together but we pay for our own travel if we go alone, meals out but these are few and far between, Christmas/birthday presents. They also do a bit here and there like new furniture if we need it, holiday spends if we’re not travelling together. We’ve had other things like home repairs, new plants for the garden etc. My MIL also pays for our annual national trust which we love. We’d happily do all this for ourselves and comfortably could, but we are so grateful. We don’t really get childcare from either set so we guess it’s their way of supporting as they can’t be a ‘village’ as such. We’d do all the same for our children when the time comes. My parents also paid everything for my sisters uni more recently and she has a flat share now she’s graduated.

My parents have helped me out loads over the years 😊. It’s never asked for but given with love and generosity. They also have savings set aside for their 4 grandchildren which is doing well in a high risk ISA.

I also help my adult dc out as much as I can. Uni accommodation and living expenses, travel fares and cars + insurance. Holidays with us and plenty of meals out. I’m lucky that we can afford to do this, mortgage free and relatively high earners

My parents were my full time childcare for a couple of years so that was worth a fortune in money we didn’t have to find. Only dad now and he gives very generous gifts to DC for birthday and Christmas eg PlayStation, iPads and iPhones (slightly older models). Always offers to pay for birthday meals but we only let him do 1 a year (he’s unable to come).

When I was younger, early 20s my parents treated me to meals out and holidays with my small DS. It was my only hope to have a holiday, as I was in poverty. Now I'm in my late 50s I'm very comfortable due to me & DH business, with a high disposable income. I now take my kids & mum on holiday, pay for all meals + other things. It's not something they expect but I feel happy doing it because I was treated the same when I was penniless.

My parents couldn’t afford to give us money, but dad was a joiner and saved us a fortune giving us his skills for free.

We have one daughter who hasn’t had an easy life, we help her out regularly. So far she’s dealing with the after effects of Endometriosis, undiagnosed for 9 years, culminating in a hysterectomy at 27, no children. She has CPTSD, due to a prick of a gynaecologist gas lighting her. Dyslexia, ADHD, FND, Fibromyalgia, colloid Cyst (benign brain tumour) and anxiety 😟

She hasn’t been able to work regularly, always in and out of hospital. She lives with her partner, I tell her to add food items to my ADDA delivery. It isn’t the life I envisioned for my adult child, I constantly worry for her. She’s an only one so I have the comfort that she will inherit our property, currently worth around 500k, this is a comfort for me that she’ll have something to fall back on. She also has my old car, and I mostly pay for the repairs. At the age of just 30 she has had to deal with so much, it breaks my heart.

My parents have never paid for anything for me in my adult life. I started working at eighteen years old and have supported myself since then. Nearly forty now.

My DC are teens and I’ll do whatever I can to support them financially for as long as they need it. I’ll happily treat them and show them generosity (with boundaries of course) whilst I can.

I don’t want to hinder them or keep them from flying the nest but I never want them to struggle or suffer if I can help it.

My parents bought me a small car last year. DF could no longer drive due to failing sight, and they didn’t want lifts in my old banger! I’m 60 and they are 80s.

When we were growing up we got presents for b'day/xmas, it wasn't the norm to ask or expect anything at any other time. That continued as adults. They didn't pay unless something major happened. Like paying the rent on my brothers place when he had chemo and helping me pay for university accommodation. They didn't really do the bung some cash for the sake of it, esp as we expected to pay our way while working, just help us when really stuck if that makes sense. It was always appreciated and what a safety net.

I'm not a parent, but I don't know why they should be expected to pay anything for adult children....if said adults are working, then they can pay for their needs themselves - that's what being an adult is all about. Aren't people embarrassed to accept handouts from their parents?

My parents pay for meals out sometimes but not super often and will occasionally buy dc things, ie, mum will take DD for nice shoes etc. they usually will pay 50% if we holiday when strictly splitting by rooms would have them paying 1/3. DH’s parents have been known to bung us £50k every now and then 😂. Mine are pretty loaded (assets well over £6M and annual income from pensions etc well into 6 figures) but got there by being really frugal and old habits die hard.

Nothing. I left home at 17 with my ds and never had any financial help from then on.

I cant believe how much help some people get!

Neither mine nor dhs pay for anything and haven't don't since we left home, me at 17, him at 18.

Our adult son is 19 and still living at home while at uni. We pay for a lot for him.

When I was at university in the 80s, my Nana used to write me letters and include a stamp for me to write back.

I paid my own way at uni, however I moved back home from 21 to 27, and paid only £200 per month keep, allowing me to save a house deposit and enjoy a lot of holidays.

My parents gave us £1000 when we got married, and bought us a travel system when we had DS. My mum often buys clothes/toys for DS and my dad recently loaned me some money towards a new car (I intended to take out a personal loan, but he didn't want me paying interest). My dad is still working and earns a fairly decent salary, mortgage paid off, my mum is retired.