The Problems of the Boomerang Generation

The Economy Has Forced Many Twenty-Somethings Back Home with Parents

Mar 23, 2009 Maryellen Grady

According to the website, The Hands-On Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home, nearly 25 million adult children live with their parents in the U.S.

Members of the Boomerang Generation are up in their childhood bedrooms, safely living with Mom and Dad, sleeping beneath their Olsen Twins quilts, reading the Twilight Saga, watching Project Runway, and collecting 80's and 90's nostalgia. You can call them Twixters, the Millennials, the Entitlement Generation, Quarter-Lifers, Generation Why or any other term - they mostly all are feeling alienated. They tried making it on their own and they failed.

Moving Back Home Not Just A Trend

This is no mere trend like Generation X. This change seems here to stay until the economy gets back on its feet. The job market is bleak. The dream of home ownership has become impossible in this economy. Even renting when you don't make a decent salary is impossible.

The best years of a twenty-something's life may well have been when he was in school and his dreams still seemed possible. Now twenty-somethings hate their jobs, or they have been fired; they've broken off a serious relationship or even been divorced. They seem to have a lot of options, but they just can't figure out what they are doing in their lives.

The Poor Economy Has Caused Their Problems

They have tried living alone, and then found themselves returning to their parents' home when they just couldn't cut it. A Pew Research Center survey found almost half (42%) of 18- to 29-year-olds had trouble paying mortgage or rent last year, and 49% had trouble paying for medical care.

The Empty Nest Has Become Crowded

The generational terms above refer only to those who ignore Thomas Wolfe's advice and do go home again. The empty nest for many parents has become a crowded one, as Kathleen Shaputis's 2003 book pointed out, The Crowded Nest Syndrome: Surviving the Return of Adult Children, (Clutter Fairy Publishing (March 1, 2004), which took a dim view of the trend. It's a lot of stress on the marriages of the parents. It strains the household budget. It may affect younger children negatively. It may be difficult for a parent to ask the adult child to leave when it's time.

Is College the Answer This Time?

A college degree no longer insures job stability. Real wages have fallen. Many Boomerang kids decided their best option in a gloomy job market was to return to school. Living at home allows them the financial wherewithal to do just that. Most all of these people plan on leaving home one day not too far off in the future.

Some of Boomerang's Problems Due to Not Wanting to be Adults

This change in life course patterns also means later ages for marriage, childbearing, and home purchases. Most Boomerang kids are fine with this and in no hurry to give up their freedom for marriage. They want to try on some more lifestyles with all of their options open. They want to travel and to take some life choice risks. They are willing to sacrifice not having a secure place in established society for this kind of freedom. They mostly view settled down adulthood as boring and predictable.

In fact, they also expect not to be tied down to a single job. Job loyalty is a thing of the past. They don't plan to work at any one place for too long. Gone is the thinking of their grandparents that they will work at one place all their lives. They do want to do work that means something. They want something that expresses who they are. They don't even think long-term about health care or Social Security. They mostly care about their immediate careers and instant gratification.

Will They Ever Choose to Become Responsible Adults?

Boomerangs plainly do not want all of the responsibilities of adulthood. They don't even mind letting Mom do their laundry again and cook for them. It's a scary world out there. They tried it and they didn't like it. Maybe next time will be better.

Will they ever choose to grow up and take on responsibilities? That remains to be seen. Someday the economy must get better. Someday they will get out of grad school. Collecting 90's nostalgia is only interesting for so long. Surely they will want to settle down, get married, have children, and buy a house. No?

They may be helped on their way by frustrated parents who are tired of the strain on their marriages and households. Parents who would like nothing more at this point but to go back to being empty-nesters again.

The copyright of the article The Problems of the Boomerang Generation in Parenting Resources is owned by Maryellen Grady. Permission to republish The Problems of the Boomerang Generation in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

The Gang Out Shopping

What do you think about this article?

---

NOTE: Because you are not a Suite101 member, your comment will be moderated before it is viewable.

post your comment

What is 0+1?

Comments

Mar 24, 2009 3:50 PM

Christina Newberry :

The link for The Hands-On Guide to Surviving Adult Children Living at Home, mentioned in the article opener, is http://www.adultchildrenlivingathome.com

Apr 23, 2009 10:36 AM

Guest :

Have you noticed that living the "responsible adult" life-style has gotten us nowhere but an economic depression, a polluted world, and a generation of messed up people? If we look back to the ways things were before the depression, with all the pollution, corruption, greed, over consumption, destruction, etc., do we really want to be like the generation that let all of that happen? Previous generations had it all wrong and our generation is just trying to find its own way to succeed without being so careless. Instead of being mindless, selfish consumer zombies who rely on the government to solve all of our problems, like most of generation X has become, why don't we be the new type of responsible adult? The type of responsible adult that stands up for their rights, protects the environment, and gives respect and love to everyone and everything around us.
We don't need houses or jobs or money to be productive members of society. Just because one has an abundance of monetary wealth and an accumulation of material goods does not make that person rich. Most of the people who do have a lot of money seem to have a problem being responsible and productive, just look at Coca-Cola, AIG, etc. If you really want to be a responsible and productive adult, do community service, help clean and maintain the environment, fight for human rights, help feed the poor/sick, grow your own food/medicine instead of buying commercialized and dangerous products. BE SELFLESS. These are all things that responsible adults should be doing, but needless to say most of the last generation does quite the opposite. It is our generation's time to finally learn from and fix the mistakes that past generations have made.

Apr 23, 2009 3:36 PM

Guest :

Though I know this research doesn't necessarily mean every person between 19-29 are like that, but as a 26yo male I can say a lot of it is true. I will most likely have to move back with my mom really soon. I'm unemployed but not by choice, money is really tight right now, and trying to make it now is so hard. Lucky I have two great roommates who don't mind picking up my slack.

3 Comments