Many parents believe they are being supportive when they say things like, “I’m just worried about you,” or “We only want what’s best for you.” However, adult daughters can experience these same phrases not as care, but as criticism, control, or quiet disappointment. And it’s brutal for a child to feel that from their parent.
This disconnect was recently highlighted in an article by Avery White, who identified common phrases parents use with adult children that sound supportive but subtly communicate judgment.
White’s observations capture a familiar pattern: Parents and adult children may speak with love, but hear with different emotional filters. Family communication research helps explain why.
The psychology of intergenerational misunderstanding
Intergenerational communication is shaped by competing expectations. Parents often continue to speak from roles of authority, protection, and experience—even with their children who have long been adults. On the other side, adult daughters often seek recognition as autonomous adults whose choices deserve respect.
Relational dialectics theory describes this tension as an ongoing negotiation between two fundamental needs: connection and autonomy. Parents may express closeness through guidance and concern, while daughters experience those same messages as intrusion or mistrust.
Layered onto this is the reality of emotional and invisible labor. In my research on adult daughters, I see how frequently daughters translate parental language. These women are softening criticism, reframing concern, and managing emotional harmony to preserve relationships with their parents. This interpretive work is part of what I call daughtering: the emotional, cognitive, and relational labor daughters perform to keep families connected. You can read more about this work in my book, Good Daughtering.
When parents and daughters operate from different assumptions about closeness and independence, even well-intentioned words can miss their mark.
6 phrases that reveal the autonomy–connection tension
Drawing on White’s observations, here are six common phrases that illustrate how intergenerational communication can go awry. Below you’ll see the phrases that White mentioned in her article, describing the ways that language from Baby Boomer parents can go awry. Below each example, I’ve provided an alternate way of talking that you can try with your adult daughter.
1. “I’m just worried about you.”
Parents often intend this as care. Daughters often hear: I don’t trust your judgment.
Try saying instead:
“I trust you to make decisions that fit your life.”
“Do you want advice or just someone to listen?”
Sometimes, connection grows not from speaking, but from restraint.
2. “Whatever makes you happy.”
Parents may mean acceptance. Daughters often hear disengagement or quiet disapproval.
Try responding instead:
“I may not fully understand your choice, but I respect it.”
“Tell me what excites you about this.”
3. “When I was your age…”
Parents may intend perspective. Daughters often hear comparison.
Try this instead:
“Your world is different from mine.”
“What feels hardest about this stage of life right now?”
4. “I guess you know what you’re doing.”
Parents may mean permission. Daughters often hear sarcasm or doubt.
Try saying something like this instead:
“I trust your process, even if I’d choose differently.” Avoid the word “guess”—that feels passive-aggressive.
5. “I just want you to be happy.”
Parents may intend unconditional love. Daughters often hear an implied critique of their current path.
Try saying instead:
“What happiness looks like for you matters.” As you can imagine, saying it like you actually mean it helps, too.
6. “We only want what’s best for you.”
Parents may intend protection. Daughters think they mean: You don’t know your own life as well as we do.
Try conveying instead:
“You know your life better than anyone.”
“I may see things differently, but I respect your choices.” (This one is a winner!)
Why language matters more than parents realize
Decades of research in family communication show that relational closeness is built less on advice and more on validation. Adult daughters often crave recognition. They don’t want instruction from their parents, but to be seen as capable. Recognize your daughter’s autonomy, competence, and emotional complexity.
When parents shift to a paradigm of curiosity about their adult child’s life, the tension reduces. Instead of feeling managed, daughters feel seen. Instead of feeling evaluated, they feel respected. Sometimes the most powerful phrases are simple. Try these next time you’re in conversation with your adult child:
“I’m listening.”
“I trust you.”
“Tell me more.”
These words signal partnership rather than hierarchy. If she’s trusting you enough to tell you about her life, she values you in it. You get to stay privy to her thoughts by validating that she’s adulting well. Reserve your disagreement for the most critical events that can pop up infrequently.
A note on complexity and professional support
I write as a family communication scholar, not a clinician. Every family system is unique, and some relationships are shaped by trauma, mental health challenges, or long histories of conflict that cannot be resolved through language shifts alone. In those cases, working with a licensed therapist or counselor can be transformative. Clinicians and scholars such as Harriet Lerner, Terry Real, Sue Johnson, and Lindsay Gibson offer research-informed frameworks for understanding intergenerational dynamics, emotional labor, and attachment patterns in families.
Moving beyond guilt, toward connection
This is not about shame and blame. It is about staying connected.
If you recognized yourself in any of these phrases, that doesn’t make you a bad parent. It makes you human. Most families aren’t drifting apart because of a lack of love. They drift apart because of small misunderstandings that accumulate over time. The hopeful truth is that we can revise the language we use and try again. Try not to feel blame or shame when reading these tips, but instead have an open mind toward optimizing your future communication.
Sometimes staying close to an adult daughter does not require better advice or stronger opinions. It does not require perfection. It requires something quieter (and often harder): trust.
To find a therapist, visit the Psychology Today Therapy Directory.