My Children and Me: Midlife Evaluations of Grown Children and of Self

Midlife parents ( N = 215, M age = 53.7 years) were interviewed about how their adult children ( M age = 27.6 years) had "turned out." These assessments were then related to parents' views of themselves. Perceived accomplishments and adjustment of children were expected to be positively linked with parents' well-being (e.g., self-acceptance, environmental mastery, purpose in life), and social comparisons were hypothesized to contribute to the link between parents' assessments of children and their own well-being. Multiple regression analyses revealed that children's perceived adjustment significantly predicted 6 of 7 well-being outcomes for mothers and fathers. Children's attainment was less strongly linked with parental outcomes. Personal comparisons were significant negative predictors-parents who saw their children as better adjusted than themselves had lower well-being.