As someone who lost a mom at 15 and am now 29, I totally understand this question. Major life events such as planning a wedding, having children, starting a career and everything else is completely overwhelming with the thought of having to do it all without her guidance. All because you grow up doesn't mean you stop needing a parental guidance, love and support. If it wasn't for my Grandmother, lots of times I wouldn't have had a dinner table at which to eat Thanksgiving dinner. I hope to one day foster older teens and house exchange students for this reason. So therefore I think your comment is completely ignorant and uncalled for. To the OP, I would say one option is to join a church, if you are into that. For example, my SO's aunt has taken in a 19 that she knew from her church. Even though she (the 19 yo) has a full time job, it is entry level so she still can't afford to live on her own with just that level of income. Also, she can't live with her mom anymore because her mom has several other younger children whom she already has financial difficulty supporting, so my SO's aunt saw the need and has stepped in. Now the 19 yo is just like another member of the family. Another suggestion is patience and that one day when you have a SO, his or her parents will take you in. My SO's mom has always been there for me and has assured me that she sees me as her own daughter. I wish there was more opportunities for adult orphans. I was always surprised when I was in College that there wasn't a support group for students without parents and now looking back I wish that I had initiated something like that for future students, but they night have something like that in your community.