There are just certain things that parents should never say to their grown children.
We condescend when maybe we should remember that what seems innocent or even playful to us is nails on a blackboard to them.
We forget that we’re speaking to mature people (not that they always make it easy to remember). Parents often say ridiculous and sometimes hurtful things. I wanted to learn the slam-down-the-phone triggers so I could avoid them. Over the past several years, I’ve been discreetly observing young adults (not my own) on the phone with their parents. ( MORE: How to Heal a Rift With Your Adult Child)