Joy Behar’s quip after her co-host Sunny Hostin expressed a desire for grandchildren during a recent segment of “The Weekend View” was an important reminder about the pressures adult children sometimes face from their parents.

During a sit-down on Saturday, the co-hosts were discussing dating and when it’s appropriate for people to broach the topic of wanting or not wanting kids. Hostin then shared that her adult son, Gabriel, was dating someone who once told her she didn’t want kids — which did not sit well with Hostin.

“And I was thinking, ‘Well I don’t want you to date my son because I want grandchildren,’” she said.

“But what does he say about it? What does Gabriel say?” Behar asked.

“It was a dealbreaker for him; he wants to have children and he wants to be married,” Hostin responded.

“You didn’t have any influence over that, right?” Behar quipped as the panel laughed. (See the exchange in the video below.)

Some people on Reddit have since criticized Hostin’s remarks, calling them “cringey” and saying they speak to a larger issue of parents putting too much pressure on their adult children to have kids.

“I don’t think a lot of older people realize the economic hardships Gen Z will be facing,” one commenter wrote. “I put NO pressure on my kids to reproduce! I’m not sure I would in their place.”

While Behar and Hostin may have been having a light-hearted conversation about Hostin’s desire to be a grandparent, a parent’s expectation that their adult children will have children of their own is a common and challenging experience for adults without kids, according to experts.

Christina Geiselhart, a licensed clinical social worker who specializes in self-esteem, life transitions and coping skills, said that the expectation that one’s adult children will also have children “tends to be typical and is common across cultures.”

“There are what are considered ‘social norms’ regarding the stages of life,” she told HuffPost. “The majority of people who have raised their own children start to see others their age become grandparents, so it becomes an expectation rather than just a desire that they will also experience this stage in their own lives, which many communicate to their adult children.”

Read on to learn why it’s important for parents to be conscious about conversations with their adult children surrounding grandkids, and what you can do if your own parents are pressuring you to have kids.

Expressing your desire to have grandkids can potentially create conflict in your family.

Geiselhart said that while stating your desire for your children to have children may not be harmful per se, it can “certainly be emotionally challenging for adult children.”

“The decision to have children is deeply personal and influenced by numerous factors,” she said. “While simply expressing a desire for grandchildren may not be inherently harmful, when parents place undue guilt or blame on their adult children for not fulfilling this desire, it can strain the relationship and create emotional distress.”

Dr. Jessica Gold, a psychiatrist and chief wellness officer at the University of Tennessee System, pointed out that every person and family is different, but that the pressure on adult children to have kids is “often based in the parents’ own culture and concept of a fulfilled and happy life” and that it can run counter to “what a kid actually wants for themselves.”

“That difference can cause tension and conflict between child and family, and can sometimes lead the children to do things to please their parents over their own happiness/values/desires,” she told HuffPost, adding that the pressure can be either implicit or explicit.

Gold said conversations about grandkids can go differently depending on the relationship someone already has with their parents, but an adult child may feel their boundaries are being violated, or feel pressure to be someone they aren’t or aren’t yet, or might feel “ashamed,” “unworthy” or “unloved” if they sense they aren’t living up to a parent’s expectation.

“It might make a person feel like no matter how successful they are in other aspects of their lives, if they don’t live up to this one facet of life, they will never make their parents proud,” she said. “That can feel really hurtful, and can be harmful psychologically.”

“Even if you want kids, but just haven’t met the right person or had them yet, it can compound your own feelings of not having the exact life you want when your family has those expectations, too,” she continued.

Here’s what parents should keep in mind when broaching the topic of grandkids.

Geiselhart said that it’s “entirely appropriate” for parents to have discussions about their kids’ views on growing a family as long as it’s done “respectfully.”

“The key is fostering an open dialogue while remaining receptive to the perspectives of the adult children,” she said. “It is important for parents to understand that their children’s decisions may evoke personal emotions, but it is the parent’s responsibility to manage these feelings independently rather than burdening the child.”

Geiselhart recommended that parents avoid invalidating phrases, such as “What if you regret this decision when you get older?” or “Who will care for you in your old age?”

“These types of comments often reflect the parent’s own concerns and can undermine the adult child’s autonomy,” she said.

Gold said that it depends on the relationship parents have with their adult kids, but if you want to broach the topic, she recommended posing a question like: “I grew up in a household with a lot of kids and always saw myself having them, I wonder what you think about having kids in the future?”

“It doesn’t assume anything that way and lets the person lead the conversation — but also doesn’t directly pressure them by saying ‘WHEN are you having kids?’ or ‘You need to have kids,’” she said.

Gold also recommended that parents tell their kids that they don’t need to answer and to avoid bringing the topic up on a regular basis.

What should you do if you’re feeling pressure from your parents to have kids?

Gold said that anyone feeling this way should know that it’s a common feeling and that they are “not alone in how they feel.”

She recommended that therapy can be a helpful way to learn ways to set boundaries on those conversations with your loved ones. Also, therapy may help you uncover and unpack how your family history and relationships within your family may be impacting your feelings.

Geiselhart said it’s “crucial” for adult children to establish and maintain clear boundaries.

“It is equally important to be clear with oneself regarding the reasons for one’s decisions, which can be further explored through individual counseling or therapy,” she said.

Overall, it’s important to remember and respect that there are many reasons why someone may not want to have kids — or why someone doesn’t have kids, i.e. fertility issues, financial concerns, their lifestyle or the state of the world.

Geiselhart emphasized that the “societal discourse on family planning needs to be more respectful and inclusive.”

“There is a pressing need for greater education on the diverse ways in which people can become parents and the multiple factors involved in such decisions,” she said.