Types of Boomerang Children

There are a number of reasons why an adult child returns to their parents' home. Very often a financial problem precipitates the move. Some twenty-something's found themselves unemployed, as our son did, during the economic downturn of recent years when many companies had to reduce their workforce just to stay in business. Others have left college, with or without a degree, and then had difficulty finding a job that would pay enough to support them while paying off student loans. There are other adult children who return home after a marriage or relationship breaks up. These young adults may or may not have children of their own. Some young families return home on a short-term basis while a new home is completed or between the sale of one home and the acquisition of the next. There are repeat "boomerangers" who move home two or three or more times. I have also known parents whose children had to move home because of addictions to alcohol and/or drugs. Other young adults may or may not have graduated from high school at all and have never really left the parental home, a phenomenon sometimes referred to as "failure to launch."

In all of these cases, staying or returning home fills the adult child's need for both financial and emotional support. It is my opinion that many of the adult children who move back home may need psychological counseling depending upon the reason behind their return. That, too, can be a dilemma since so many "boomerangers" are either unemployed or underemployed leaving them without health insurance to help cover the cost of therapy. Those who return to college may be able to tap into the resources available from the student health care provided by their university.

One thing they all have in common is a pair of supportive parents willing to do anything to help their children through a temporary setback. That word, "temporary," was what we had in mind two years ago. After this much time, we have begun to wonder how much longer we are willing to allow our son to live with us.