What does "protected by parents" mean in the third precept?

Hi all,

Straight to the question.
In order to break the third precept, one has to fulfill the requirement.

In the case where the father is gone, or the mother provides support such as food and clothing, the mother guards [her] thinking “I will give [her] to a good family when she comes of age.” This is called “protected by the mother”. By the same means “protected by the father”, etc., should be understood.

Does “protected by parents” mean underage children? How about a normal adult children who are in unique situation therefore the parents still provide them with food, clothing, etc. Do they also “protected by parents”? Thanks.

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Are you asking historically, at the time of the Buddha, or what the equivalent would be today?

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I think this is to do with the ability to give consent (ie they are not vulnerable to unwanted advances) and also the social aspect- do the parents agree (reasonably) that their child is able to make this decision independently and has (mentally) left the nest.

with metta

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@Mat Thanks for your reply.
How about overprotective parents who (are always trying to) protect their independent adult children? Maybe it sounds silly but there are people like this.

@Gabriel maybe both, thanks.