Reasons for Our Growing Boomerang Generation

An adult child moving back home with his or her parents is referred to a “boomerang kid.” The focus of this article is to highlight the growing trend of returning adults to their parents homes and the reasons.

The schools, colleges and parents prepare young adults to be successful and productive citizens. Teenagers grow up wishing they were adults and in charge of themselves. Parents strive to raise their children the best way they know how. The ideal is that kids are supposed to achieve good grades, apply to a good college and try to earn a scholarship to pay for most of it. No one expects them to fail or have such a hardship that they end up back home.

Anyway, when adult children graduate college owing a tremendously large loan and can't find any work in their field or any work , they usually wind up back home. This is what is known as a “Boomerang kid.”

There are all sorts of reasons for adult children to move back home with their parents. Almost all of the time the reasons are due to money issues or lack of. The recent economic crisis is draining savings accounts and bankrupting families.

Some adults move back after a divorce and were wiped out financially. Divorce is very expensive and will drain savings and force the sale of a home.

Still others just can't seem to cope with the demands of the outside world and return to the safe haven of home. There are those parents who unwittingly make their kids dependent upon them under the guise of love.

The adult offspring of today's world seem to be a far cry from those of the 1960's who ventured out into the new world with such anticipation of changing the world.

Living on the land, without the modern conveniences in communes or on the streets such as those in San Fransisco is a distant memory. Perhaps those kids grew up and regretted that lifestyle. They wanted their kids to have everything.

No matter the reason, adult offspring are moving back with their parents in record numbers.

The economy is the number one reason for the trend today. Record jobs lost in this recession, is the number one problem, followed by college loans, foreclosures, astronomical health care bills, taxes and so on.

I remember the early 70's recession and how hard it was to find work. My a brothers and I all worked any odd jobs and together we helped out with food and bills. When I graduated years ago I wasn't able to find a job in my field. I applied for months after graduation and started applying out of state, where eventually I landed a job in a rural,impoverished area. Some people are working in states many miles away while leaving the rest of the family behind. Whatever needs to be done is being done.

A new trend is happening in the last 3-4 years that's affecting recent graduates. The grads fresh from the university are facing the daunting task of landing their first meaningful position in their field of study. They are not finding any work.

Many have tried to get any position in the field and more have taken any job in the meantime. Employers are hesitant o hire overqualified applicants for fear they will leave at the first chance so keeping information to a minimum is essential. It's a vicious cycle that is played out in almost every community and hasn't improved all that much in the past few years.

In a CNNMoney.com, article, 85% of new grads are moving back home. Unemployment is as high as 15% for young people ages 20-24 years of age states Twentysomething Inc's poll. Young people are not able to start their new lives and careers.

It isn't easy to live under someone else's roof and live with their rules.

It's even harder when you have been on your own for years and the family needs to move back to one spouses parent's home. Moving into someone else's home is difficult by yourself, but add a few kids, a spouse, a few dogs and your stuff, creates a recipe for disaster. The kids are uprooted and must assimilate into a new community, new school, with less amenities and increased tension in the house.

The old issues come back with old fights, memories of conflicts while growing up and dominance issues. I know people that moved into basement of parents and it wasn't easy, but they made it work.

There may be minor clashes but stress can strain a relationship.

Oftentimes the clashes are serious enough to damage relationships for good.

Discussing the arrangements ahead of time and making a contact that everyone can live with is a good idea. Deciding who will do the added chores, times to be quiet, times to have company should be discussed beforehand and storage space needs to be addressed.

That's if you had a good relationship in the first place. No one wants more mouths to feed, or others sharing your space,disrupting your schedule and routine,but these are the most difficult times the nation has seen in many decades.

Downsizing is a practical and economic solution that will solve a problem temporarily. Everyone hopes it is temporary. Adult offspring should be on their own. It's healthier for all concerned but when it is necessary to share, then everyone needs to work together. Having the support of parents is important but getting out as soon as possible is best.

Stacie L (c)on Hubpages