<p>I am wondering about the 85% statistic. Our D moved home after undergrad for three months while she searched for an apartment near grad school. Does this mean she “returned home” ? Believe me, she kept those bags PACKED! I think that transition period is common for most grads and does not really indicate any sort of new trend.</p>
<p>S would be THRILLED to be able to afford to move out of our house. It’s embarassing to him to tell anyone he returned here after college. He’s working hard to find a job but it’s been very tough.</p>
<p>He also has some student loans to repay, but that by itself isn’t the issue. It’s getting more than a part time job to be able to afford even a cheap tiny little place of his own.
I feel for the guy and we know eventually he’ll find something. In the mean time, he’s understandably a bit depressed about it.</p>
<p>Blossom, THANK YOU! Curiouser, glad someone else understands the situation…it is very difficult.</p>
<p>ginab, a lot of NYC med schools have pretty decent living arrangements for students, which helps with call and late hours… or at least that was true in the 80’s.</p>
<p>When I graduated from college, I moved back to my parents’ house. Mind you, this was 1996, so I had a full-time job that started the day after graduation. </p>
<p>I lived at home for a year, lived in an apartment for a year that killed all my savings from the first year of work, moved back home, and stayed there for 3 years. I worked full-time for 2 of those years and spent the 3rd year in grad school, which I paid for with student loans plus what I’d saved from the 2 years of work (it was a Masters program in elementary education, so all my time not spent in class was spent in an unpaid teaching internship). During some of that time, my brother (2 years younger than me) also lived at home, as he took a 1-year break between leaving his first college and starting his second.</p>
<p>I paid rent to my parents while I was working–not as much as I’d’ve had to pay for my share of an apartment, but not a pittance–and paid a reduced amount (out of my student loan refunds) when I was in school. My parents put the rent $ I paid into a savings account, which they then gave me to pay the first month’s/last month’s/security deposit on my first apartment at age 26.</p>
<p>I’m now 36, have been consistently full-time employed since college graduation with the exception of my year in grad school (I didn’t complete the ed. degree, so I don’t work as a teacher) and still live in an apartment with roommates. This is because I’ve chosen to stay in an insanely expensive location (metro Boston). Between sharing a place with friends in a city where all my friends, family and professional contacts are, or moving somewhere where I could afford a house but wouldn’t know anyone, I absolutely prefer to continue to share. I’m pretty sure that living with my parents after college helped prepare me to make that kind of decision. :)</p>
<p>I’m not judgmental about this – if it works for a family, that’s great. Some ethnic groups really expect their children to live at home until marriage anyway, and no one can fault a kid for wanting to save money.
But an above comment resonated with me – it was really FUN to live in those crappy apartments and be out on my own in my twenties!</p>
<p>DBWES-- I agree. The crappier the apartment, the fonder the memories.</p>
<p>I’ve never been a helicopter mom (neither kid would ever allow it if I tried) – and I’d really like if one of them boomeranged. Not permenently, but if they’d decide to spend some time at home for whatever reason – that’d be fine with H & me. Is that strange?</p>
<p>I do not think it’s strange at all, Katliamom. We get along really well with our adult kids and enjoy our time with them. Of course they prefer being out on their own…and we encourage that. But if the necessity arises, we are happy to help out.</p>
<p>Oh Gosh, everyone needs to simmer down, because the real issue and trauma is the first divorce and adult child plus 1- 2 young grandchildren need shelter…take a look at those divorce stat’s and all brace ourselves, because when you were passionate about school districts for your own children, multiply that feeling for your Grandchildren. No crappy apt in sub-par school districts, no moving from one rental and school district to the next…no, no, no… you will step in and you will protect those grandchildren of the IVY educated parent (your child) who gave up their job for a few years to have children before disaster struck.</p>
<p>Let’s learn from other cultures…the wild west, all man for himself is dead–for now at least. Peace, love and do what ever works for your family.</p>
<p>H and I were both “boomerang” kids. We each lived at home for the 2 years after we graduated so we could save money, that enabled to buy a house 3 months after we got married.</p>
<p>I wouldn’t mind at all if my kids came home. They’re nice people. Of course that’s because they have great parents. ;)</p>
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<p>Amen. I enjoy my kids also (now that they are living away from home…).</p>
<p>My D has a friend who graduated from college last June and still hasn’t found a full-time job. She just moved out of her college apartment (lease up) and into another apartment. </p>
<p>I asked my D why her friend didn’t move back in with her parents–that’s what unemployed people do. My D thought about it a minute–“No job, so lots of free time… Living back home with parents…AWESOME!” </p>
<p>Glad to see she remembers her time at home fondly…</p>
<p>The reason why I don’t think it would work to have the kids move back home isn’t because they aren’t great people- I am amazingly proud of who they are- and get a lot of pleasure knowing they are related to me. ;)</p>
<p>But for our family, sharing a roof again would be out of acute necessity.</p>
<p>OlympicLady, you just sent shivers down my spine.</p>
<p>We will be a home of last resort if D1 doesnt have a job and no means of supporting herself after May 2011. But we will encourage her to be very aggressive about finding work. A lot of kids are very spoiled and think the world owes them a prestigious job at a high salary with perks. GONE.</p>
<p>The world owes them nothing. They have to suck it up and find a job…any job and go from there. When I graduated several decades ago, I was penniless and had to get a cash advance on my first paycheck so I wouldnt starve. These kids these days are spoiled rotten.</p>
<p>Went to lunch in our small town today. Ran into a young man who went to HS with DS. He just got his degree in geography at a good UC. He graduated in May and currently is living at home and valet parking cars at a hotel/resort.<br>
These aren’t mamas boys or victims of helicopter parents. These are smart kids, just like the ones most of the current CC posters know and love. Kids who graduated HS with 4.0 plus grades, who went on to good schools. Kids who got their degree with four years and graduated magna or summa cum laude. Kids who worked part time in HS and in college.
Kids who have dreams of professional careers and whose parents had the same dreams. Unfortunately it today’s world it is going to take more time to achieve that then any of us had hoped.</p>
<p>Duh! </p>
<p>We are living in an economically declining country.</p>
<p>I remember talking with some old-timers who reminisced what it was like to get married in 1929. Yup, things could be worse…but I hope the hiring picks us soon. My next door neighbor’s D, who graduated in 2008, still isn’t working in a career job…or any job. </p>
<p>I know men in their 40s who have been out of work for 2 years (and some of them and their families have boomeranged). Lots of pain going around.</p>
<p>Neighbor’s S graduated in '09, has been living at home ever since with no job of any kind.
S1 have never lived with us since leaving for college, went to work two days after grad. He’s now living/working in another state. S2 is a college jr. His coming back home after grad. is a real possibility but hoping it won’t happen.</p>
<p>Wish I saw mine more! My oldest got a 5-6 year fellowship at an Ivy that also makes her a good living, and she makes even more by teaching. The younger one already has a prestigious internship at a Big 4 international accounting firm which pretty much guarantees her a high-paying job upon graduation with her masters/CPA, which she completes within her four years.</p>
<p>Both on the other coast. And both with significant time abroad. Sigh. But we can stay with them. </p>
<p>They are welcome to move in with us any time they like. They are good, fun people!</p>