For the last several decades, the assumed path for young adults is that they would graduate from high school, receive some form of secondary education, get a job and start their own life. Increasingly, though, people in their 20s and 30s are returning home.
Photo by Michael Coghlan
According to a Pew Research report, 36% of Americans aged 18 to 31 were living at home, compared to 32% in 2007. In the UK, nearly half of students leaving education in their early twenties will return home.
What about you? Have you ever returned to live with more financially stable parents after university, a job loss, or a bad breakup? Do you think it’s more socially acceptable to return home now, or should young adults stick it out and try and be independent?
Why Do Many Young Adults Return to Their Parents? [Psych Central]
Comments
9 responses to “Have You Ever Returned To Live With Your Parents?”
This is a soft spot for me, I moved out of home when I finished school due to limited education and employment resources in my parents area. I have never moved back home even when unemployed and things arent looking up I have always managed to fight on. I now live in Sydney and I meet a lot of people around my age (Late 20’s early 30’s) who still live at home, don’t pay board, or food, have their meals prepared for them and their clothes washed and they are working full time high paying jobs. Some are even married. They always provide the usual excuse “Need to save up to buy a house” or “cant afford to live close to work” but when asked where they want to buy or how much they want to spend its usually somewhere on the beach or in the inner suburbs $900K+.
I don’t live in a 5 bedroom mansion in Bondi nor do I live close to the city, but I do own my own house and car and have a good career and I didnt need to live with my parents until I was 30 or receive any financial support from my parents to achieve this.
My advise would be to get out and enjoy life while your young, be ambitious and always look for better opportunities. I have lived all over Australia and travelled the world none of which I would have been able to do if I still lived at home.
Life’s not supposed to be comfortable all the time.
+1
Similar to me. Though at the same time if my parents did live in the city I would like to live with them, instead of paying rent and bills by myself.
I moved out of home when I was 21, and have lived in 6 different places over the past 10 years. Two of those places were my dad’s house and my mum’s house. This wasn’t due to financial reasons, but more timing reasons and finding a rental property that ticked the boxes I needed at the time. I paid board and fare at both of my parents places, and it worked out well for them because they needed a little extra income. It was a win / win for everyone at the time. I had a roof over my head, and mum and dad had some extra financial support.
29, live at home, single, finished uni at 24, pay board / help out around the house, haven’t had an overseas holiday since 2006 (or any “holiday”), earn a decent living as an engineer (~$86k) but at current pay would take 8-10 years to save a deposit at current rate (while living 30-40mins by train to sydney cbd). I assume I’ll continue getting decent pay rises (I started at $50k) which will help. My parents are happy with current arrangement, I’d like to move out but economically it doesn’t make sense. I plan to have a decent amount saved up and then go rent while continuing to save. It would also probably help with the single status, but my “partying” days (rarely go out) are behind me and more into fitness.
My opinion? It’s no one elses business to judge or pass comment on someone elses arrangement. Some people are definitely opinionated on the topic as they think they’ve “done it tough” and everyone else should too.
My advice? Do what you want as long as all parties involved are happy…. and don’t take advice from random comments to articles 😀
I stayed at home while at University and about the first year in work. Then I upped sticks and moved from Perth to London. Fast forward 10 years and I returned to Perth with my wife. We stayed with my Dad for a few years while we built a new house.
I moved out of home at 17 and have lived out of home ever since (26 now). I would have to see a serious downfall in luck to move back in with either of my parents.
I don’t think you’re allowed to pitch tents in a cemetery, so no, I probably wouldn’t go back and live with my parents.
Moved out in 2007 aged 20. Quit my job in 2011 to study so moved back with my folks – lasted about a month before I quit my studies and moved back to a share-house to be a bum. Couldn’t hack living with my parents again.
I moved out at 19 to go to uni. Financially it wasn’t working out so moved back home at 21. In that time, Dad had retired and built his man shed. Nearly failed this semester of uni due to spending so much ‘project time’ In the shed. With that said, we now have a boat, a boat trailer, a regular trailer, a canoe and a working vintage motorcycle to name a few.