Recession Leads More Children to Move Back Home

With the sudden decline in the economy many people are having to resort to moving back home with their parents. Even those with college educations are finding it to be an economically sound decision to stay with their parents until they are on their feet and settled into their new career. While this is happening in more and more families throughout the world one has to wonder how it will effect both the parent and the adult child. Here is a look at how it can effect both parties.

One thing that is commonly felt amongst adult children who have to move back home with their parents is they will feel a loss of independence. They may feel as though they have failed living on their own whether it be because they lost their job or their hours at work were cut. This can be extremely hard for married couples who have to move back home with parents or families with children. This can lead to the adult child's' self esteem dropping and often to depression.

Secondly, one thing that effects both the adult child and the parent has to do with the space factor. Unless the parent lives in a large home that can easily be transformed into a multi-family home both parties will have a hard time deciding how to divide up the space. The parents may feel as though their space has been invaded and the adult child may feel as though they have to be extra careful as though they have to tip-toe around the home so as not to do anything to make their parents feel uncomfortable. This is especially true if the adult child is moving back home with a spouse or children. Both parties will have to go through a phase of adjustment. The parents will have to adjust to having children in the home again after being alone for so long and the adult child may feel as though they have to alter their parenting skills. Both parties need to remain flexible and give themselves space and time to adjust to these changes.

In some homes where the adult children have had to move back home, their parents find themselves financially strapped. They may feel obligated to help their children financially and if they are already living on a fixed income this can be very stressful for both parties.

On the other side there are some ways it can be very beneficial to both parties when it comes to adult children moving back home. After they have gotten on their feet financially they can assist their parents with bills. Parents can help their kids back on their feet by allowing them to stay in their home for little or no rent so they can start saving up to get their own home again.

In recent studies of those who have moved back home with their parents it seems to show that there are a number of problems in the beginning but they seem to resolve themselves in the majority of cases.

Not long ago I was faced with having to move back home with my own mom, younger brother and step dad. I was pregnant and had an 18 month old baby boy. While it took almost a year, we worked through things and I was able to finally save up enough money to move into my own place. There were more ups than downs and during the time my mom got to help me with my pregnancy and my sons got to be closer to their grandma, grandpa and uncle. We did not have a lot of extra room but there was plenty of love and it allowed me to be able to save up money by not paying rent and enabled us as a family to get back on our feet.