Is It Okay To Live With The 'Rents?
Living at home with your parents well into your 20s and even 30s: it's not so bad! A full third of 18-34-year-olds currently do it, a figure that's been rising for 25 years. And studies indicate that the politely-named "open nest" trend will keep going strong, which the WSJ says will mean that "the stigma traditionally linked to young adults' living at home will fade." We say: not bloody likely.
More upper- and middle-income parents, including many who felt pressed for time when their children were growing up, aren't ready to be "finished with them" by their 20s, says Katherine Newman, a Princeton University sociology professor and one of the project's 20 researchers. Also, as more students attend college at older ages, parents are coming to regard the 20s as a time of self-discovery.
Self-discovery of a job, is the idea. If you're truly poverty-stricken, or taking care of a sick parent, that's one thing. But these are able-bodied young people who willingly choose to live in the basement.
More enduring cultural and social changes are at work, including a growing "child-centeredness" among families, Dr. Newman says. Many parents enjoy having adult kids around as long as they're pursuing "a future they can endorse."
Don't you people want to have sex in peace?
