Boomerang Generation- Why it could be a good thing

A third of Americans move back in with their parents in their 20s. Here’s why that is great news.

If you have a 20-something son or daughter, there is a very good chance you have already experienced the difficulties that arise when parents and kids move back in together.

You’re not alone.

Even with the recession a good half decade behind us, our country’s young adults are still struggling to find a solid footing after high school or college. As such, many of them (roughly 1 in 3) have to move back home for a while.

According to the The New York Times, this is likely to be a long-term trend. Reporter Adam Davidson looked through the historical data to see how we got here:

“In 1968, for instance, a vast majority of 20-somethings were living independent lives; more than half were married. But over the past 30 years, the onset of sustainable economic independence has been steadily receding. By 2007, before the recession even began, fewer than one in four young adults were married, and 34 percent relied on their parents for rent.”

That’s given rise to a Boomerang Generation whose members look a lot like Kevin, our budding inventor and entrepreneur who is full of ambition … but needs a little more time to get there.

Fortunately for Kevin and other such emerging adults, moving back in with their parents affords them that opportunity to grow. While the crowded nest can be frustrating for parents and children alike, the childhood home can become something of an incubator where Boomerang children can

learn to build stronger relationships,
get guidance they’ll actually listen to this time,
and save on living costs now so they can pursue more fulfilling professional lives.

It takes a little extra work to get these emerging adults to be independent, but in the process, our society might be creating one of the most thoughtful, compassionate and ambitious generations we’ve ever seen.

“In 1968, for instance, a vast majority of 20-somethings were living independent lives; more than half were married. But over the past 30 years, the onset of sustainable economic independence has been steadily receding. By 2007, before the recession even began, fewer than one in four young adults were married, and 34 percent relied on their parents for rent.”

That’s given rise to a Boomerang Generation whose members look a lot like Kevin, our budding inventor and entrepreneur who is full of ambition … but needs a little more time to get there.

Fortunately for Kevin and other such emerging adults, moving back in with their parents affords them that opportunity to grow. While the crowded nest can be frustrating for parents and children alike, the childhood home can become something of an incubator where Boomerang children can

learn to build stronger relationships,
get guidance they’ll actually listen to this time,
and save on living costs now so they can pursue more fulfilling professional lives.

It takes a little extra work to get these emerging adults to be independent, but in the process, our society might be creating one of the most thoughtful, compassionate and ambitious generations we’ve ever seen.

However, another recent trend is that young adults are settling down with a significant other much later in life. There seems to be a bit of a chicken-and-egg relationship between financial instability and the delaying of serious romantic relationships.

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