Adult Children Living At Home: How Clinging to Mommy and Daddy Is Ruining a Generation

[superfan1]

As children grow up and venture out into the world, the transition from a bustling household to an empty one can be difficult - so, why not skip it all together?

Comments

[lyssna]

Rarely is journalism so empty and worthless as when it talks about "generations". Unfortunately it seems to be a favorite topic.

[stormqueen280]

As a journalist, this topic always makes me cringe.

[grace_om]

<3 this comment.

[hinoema]

This again?

1. The idea that everyone can afford to establish a separate household immediately after reaching adulthood is a post WWII phenomenon.

2. The economy as it stands doesn't make it viable for younger- or older- generations to cast aside family ties in order to fulfill the arbitrary materialistic expectations largely originated by the Ad Council and perpetuated by the mortgage loans industry.

This whole thing reeks of 'these darn kids!' with a side order of 'not enough white babies!'

[amyura]

A thousand times number one. Both sets of my grandparents lived with THEIR parents well after marriage and even past the birth of a kid or two. Both families were well into their 30s before they moved into their own homes. (And in both cases, as one grandfather was a plumber and the other a carpenter, they lived with their parents/in-laws, bought land, and built modest 6-room houses.)

[thepuddingcook]

Haaa for real on the white babies part. I'm 28, married, with an "independent household" and a baby....and I am one of like 2 or 3 people outside my family that I know of in the same situation (almost everyone else I know is living at home or living on their own but single)--and we are all POC lol. My brothers and cousins have had kids wayyy before me and it was considered pretty "late" for me to have a baby at 28 within our family, but my younger brother lives in a predominantly white area and he just told me that at my nephew's first birthday party my baby will be the only kid at the party, the rest will be adults. CSB basically.

[romp]

There was a spate of these article with the Boomerang Generation documentary came out in Nov. Not sure what set this off.

I think the US had a few decades of affluence that should not be considered a norm or at least not a god-given right.

[thepuddingcook]

And I know sooo many people as well who can't get any jobs with their BA so they are at home because they can't afford to go to grad school otherwise, and without grad school they won't have money..it's a vicious cycle, but they are far from lazy

[devilstay]

Well...I'm 19.I'm not sure 9if account, regardless I won't be moving out anytime soon for two reasons;

1- I can just about pay for my daily transport.
2- My mum, is my mum and my friend.

My mum, and my sister are the only people I genuinely like, outside of my best friends (which are like 6 people). I wouldn't mind moving in with my best friends, but refer to reason 1. I just don't see why I desperately need to move out, if I'm happy, and helping where I am.

[mercat]

And the cost of college education means nothing (or did I miss that in here)? I'm lucky in that I had a full ride for undergrad, but that is absolutely not the case for grad school. I'm lucky my parents are helping me out, although I'm also glad I am sort of living on my own, as just a half year in their house has starting to grate on my nerves a tiny bit. I am tired of being told I'm lazy and need to get a job when I am expected in one class alone to spend 34 hours a week working on it.

(Unrelated note, I'm a little frustrated with my parents-- when I was applying/registering/moving to grad school they kept saying "most grad students work full time on coursework, I don't think you'll have time for a job" and now that I'm out here they keep hinting that I should get one. What the hell.)

[anolinde]

And the cost of college education means nothing (or did I miss that in here)?

I know, right? I think I read something the other day about how Americans owe more on student loans than they do on credit cards, which is ridiculous. I hope it's getting to the point where something's going to be done about how expensive college is, because at the rate these universities are going their alums aren't going to be able to afford any donations.

[13chapters]

Yeah, I owe MANY MANY times more than i do on my student loans than I do on my credit card, personally. I mean, I actually expect to be able to pay off my credit card debt in my lifetime. My student loans I will probably pay until the 15 year expiry point, when I will still have loads of money owed.

And yeah, my grad school has hit me up for money. It is to laugh.

[ebay313]

Yeah, I owe MANY MANY times more than i do on my student loans than I do on my credit card, personally.

lol, this. I've got around $60,000 or something in student loan debt. I have one credit card with a $1,000 limit. Credit card debt doesn't come even the slightest bit close to student loan debt. Not even a little.