Comments on: Boomerang Kids – How to Handle Them Returning To The Nest

By: New Covenant Bible Institute

New Covenant Bible Institute — Wed, 10 Aug 2011 15:51:32 +0000

I am the eldest in the family and is working now far from my family, in time that i am finished with my contract, I will have a vacation in my family’s home, And i am planning to stay there for a month to rest and to be with them. But after that I month, I will be back at work to earn more and to help them.

By: Jill

Jill — Thu, 03 Jun 2010 15:30:54 +0000

We just recently published a study about Boomerangers. Our study found that Boomerangers are actually a pretty calm and happy bunch and enjoy spending time with their families and spend increasingly more and more time with their parents. Learn more about other insights and findings from this study at: http://www.luminositymarketing.com/pages/res/resources_wp_boomerang.php

By: Christina

Christina — Sat, 27 Mar 2010 18:13:58 +0000

This is an excellent post that touches on some of the most important ways families can prevent stress and resentment who two generations of adults live together.

By: Nikki

Nikki — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 14:19:23 +0000

My husband and I lived with my parents for nearly 3 years – and not immediately after being married, after over 2 years of being on our own! We moved back to my parents’ hometown, and slept on their parsonage floor while working summer outdoor education jobs. Then we moved to the home they owned and lived there while looking for regular work, which meant no rent expenses for us. We paid the utility bills and kept the fire going (which lowered THEIR expenses during cold Montana winters!) After a season of this, they quit their jobs in town to begin an outdoor adventure ministry, and moved up to the woods. We set up a yurt, so we had our own space, but with no running water, so were still sharing a shower among 4 adults and a 3rd grader.
It was tough in a lot of ways – adjusting expectations, making the shift from parents to offspring being the ones with the steady income, coupled with the plain old difficulty of making it through a Montana winter. Communication was obviously important – we sometimes needed reminders that THEY needed privacy. They had some shame about asking us for financial help, even though we were happy to provide it, which led to not asking, and us ending up picking up expensive late fees that we could have avoided. We were able to share a lot, including a pickup truck, freezer, hunting rifle, grocery runs (over 30 minutes to town), an internet connection, and a chainsaw.
My parents were actually sad when we moved out 3 months ago, and we all still miss the camaraderie, morning tea together, and card games after dinner. They probably don’t miss our homebrewing gear constantly strewn about though.
In other words, I agree with the last commenter – why can’t a family living together be considered a community of supportive adults, not “boomerang kids” imposing on their parents?

By: basicmoneytips.com

basicmoneytips.com — Mon, 22 Mar 2010 11:12:33 +0000

This is an interesting article, but I think it shows a lot about the dynamics of the American family.

My wife is not from the USA, but she went to college over here and has been in the USA for awhile now. I have visited her family on 2 occasions and it was interesting to see the differences in them and the average family. First, in her country, it is natural that kids live at home until they are married, even if they are well into the 20s. It is not viewed as any type of negative event. Further, her Grandmother lives at the house too. In other countries it is not odd if 3 generations of the family live under the same roof and help each other, both socially and economically.

I think it is sad over here that our society views a child returning home as so negative. The nuclear family is already in the decline and this certainly shows evidence of that. I agree there should be a structure in place, so the household respects each other, but at the end of the day, is it really so bad? Didn’t you raise this child and love this child? Sometimes family well being is more important than being an empty nester.

By: Steven and Debra

Steven and Debra — Sat, 20 Mar 2010 01:08:50 +0000

Joe,
We are in agreement with your position. The first order of business ,when an adult child is in financial distress and needs to move back home, is to stop the financial bleeding. Taking the $15,000 job should plug the money hole (and then some) while living with parents.

By: Joe Plemon

Joe Plemon — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:24:33 +0000

Terry,
Great question. I would say the answer depends on who is doing the hiring. For me, when I was in a position to hire, I would look more favorably on those who continued to work, even at a menial job, than rock because they couldn’t find a position within their career path. Work ethic, tenacity and integrity all are demonstrated by someone who is willing to take a position “beneath” his chosen career. But that is just me. Other readers?

By: Terry

Terry — Fri, 19 Mar 2010 15:15:17 +0000

Tangential question:

Let’s say a rising adult child has a ‘good’ job and gets downsized, and returns to the parental home.

On one hand, as this post says, we insist this person take a menial job if that is all that is available.

But what career implications flow from going from, say, a $40K job to a $15K job? Would prospective ‘good job’ employers look favorably on such an applicant (because they chose to continue working, even if at a menial job), or look unfavorably (because of the obvious regression of job, career, etc)?