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Economy Forces 'Boomerang Kids' Back Home

Experts fear financial strain of dependent, adult kids

By Drew Nelles, Newser Staff

Posted Apr 26, 2009 2:08 PM CDT

(Newser) – After losing their jobs and homes, some middle-aged adults are losing something else—independence from their parents, the Washington Post reports. The recession is forcing so-called “boomerang kids” back into their childhood homes, raising questions about how easily parents can accommodate refilled nests amid tough economic times. "It's much more everyone pulling their weight, because the parents are hurting as well," a consultant says.

About 20 million 18- to-34-year-olds live with their parents, and a Monster.com survey indicates that about half of recent college graduates plan on returning home. "In some ways, we're coming back and living together the way we did during the Depression," one expert says, when families lived under one roof for financial reasons. But parents may be “stealing from the future to help pay for the present,” another expert warns.

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Those nests aren't as empty as they used to be, reports the Washington Post, with many adults getting clobbered by the economy and moving home. (Shutterstock)

Recession is sending many a formerly-self-respecting adult back under the roof of mom and dad, reports the Washington Post. (Shutterstock)

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My mother has cleared out the closet and some of the drawers in the room, and I'm just going from a home to a room, and I'm going to be happy until this all blows over. - Felicia Brown

They may be helping them out in the short-run, but these days parents really have to think long and hard about who's going to be on the hook to help them out if they run out of money. - Tim Mauer, financial planner

We have followed her from being a little thing all the way through to her present life. We have always been the parents ready to help with whatever the circumstances are. - James Brown, father

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Economy Forces 'Boomerang Kids' Back Home