Things To Do In SW Florida

Some parents will tell you firsthand there’s no expiration date on this raising kids gig. For some, that means they extend financial help to their kids into adulthood. When I was 21 and got into a master’s program at a college of my dreams, my mom swooped in to help me pay for my degree. Many parents have been kind enough to do this and more.

When I say “many,” I’m backed up by a 2023 survey from Savings.com that found 45% of parents with a child 18 or older spend an average of over $1,400 per month supporting their kids financially, excluding adult kids with disabilities.

But is this financial support always a good idea? A certified financial planner and a therapist who both have experience in this department share their thoughts.

Why parents support adult kids

There are many reasons a parent may choose to support their adult kids. Disabilities and wanting to help them achieve major life milestones are a couple. Shelmeshia Hill-Brown, the CEO of Wholistic Resolutions LLC in Chesapeake, Virginia, is a social worker and therapist who works with parents who financially support their adult kids. A major theme she sees is parents helping pay for school, especially since the pandemic. Buying a home and exploring infertility treatments are other reasons her clients financially support their kids. read more

Walt Disney World has put an early crowning touch on Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, the Magic Kingdom ride that’s being formed out of the former Splash Mountain attraction.

Overnight in Frontierland, a tiara-topped water tower became the most significant exterior change in the transformation thus far.

The crown’s design includes two stars, which Imagineers say represent Ray and Evangeline, a firefly character and the object of his affection, from the 2009 film “The Princess and the Frog.”

In the attraction’s story, Tiana, one of the title characters of the film, has established a business — that’s the Tiana’s Foods logo seen on the tower — as well as revived an old salt mine into a boutique farm.

Cirque du Soleil: ‘Drawn to Life’ tickets discounted for summer

The attraction remains drained of water, surrounded by construction walls, and the “mountain” is flanked by scaffolding.  If standing on the bridge facing the ride’s dramatic drop, the tower is to the right.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure was announced in June 2020, and Splash Mountain closed in January 2023. The renovation is scheduled to be complete in late 2024.  A similar transformation is underway at Disneyland park in California. read more