Is there an age by which a child should leave their parents' home?

Most of the people I grew up with were out of the house by 18 - 20. I now know folks that still have kids at home who are in their 30s and 40s.

today's 4-year degree makes a person qualified to work retail. That's not like it was 20 or 30 years go.



it's tough to judge this issue using the same standards.

because their kids don't WANT to leave the house! That just blows my mind. By the time I was 17, I couldn't wait to get out from under their roof and begin to live my own life.

That said, I moved back in with my parents at 35 when I was getting divorced. It was very brief, but it seemed like an eternity!

I'm Irish, so I shouldn't go near this question.

Remember the old joke. Jesus must have been Irish. He lived with his mother until he was in his thirties, spent the night before he died drinking with his buddies, he thought his mother was a virgin, and she thought he was God.

That is hilarious. :rofl: And too true.

It was presumed we'd go to college, but it was made known that if we didn't go to college, we were still out the door at 18.

I think that's a pretty reasonable goal to strive for.

are still living at home. We are twins and are 30. The kid next door is 31 and still is at home and so are most of the other kids on the street who are in their 20s.

Most of my single friends are still at home too.

Financially, I don't think I could afford to move out unless I got a roommate, and I don't like living with someone else.

But I work second shift, my mom works alot as does my sis and my dad is semi-retired but is out of the house a lot. I have the place to myself most days. I can go the whole week without seeing my mom and sis.

It works for us. They never forced us to move out. We're old school Italians, where everybody lived together...some of my other family is like that too.

I moved out at 23 because commuting from New Haven to Stamford got ridiculous. I moved back at 28 for a few months when I was between apartments.

My brothers all moved out shortly after graduating from college.

I tell my kids that the door will always be open for them, no matter how old they are.

I mean, I'm still there but if I moved out I know I could always come back. My parents like having us around. I think if we weren't around they would probably kill each other! :) We just all get along really well so, like I said, it works for us.

:hi:

One of the reasons I never wanted to move from this house. I didn't get to do that and I think I would really have enjoyed it.

:hi:

Oh, thats months by the way, not years.

:rofl:

I don't really think there's a "right" age that applies to all. Sometimes kids want to be out of the house and the parents want them out ASAP, too. Some people don't care if they ever move out, and may have parents who don't mind them staying, either. And there are plenty of in-between scenarios as well. I think there are various reasons that people may have for living with their parents beyond 18 and I feel like as long as they don't feel guilty about it, like a burden to their parents, or unable to have the freedom that they feel they need as adults, and as long as their parents don't have a problem with it, there isn't a problem with it.

No wonder housing is so expensive.

:D

RL

This, of course, presupposes that all generations are contributing somehow to the upkeep of the family.

The cheaper it is, the earlier it would be.

At some point, parenting could become too inefficient, and once you give birth, you never have much to do with the cog. You get back to work as soon as possible, and the couple of pounds of new flesh is molded to fit exactly what is needed for future productive purposes.

The more expensive the energy is, the more you need to depend on other people.

(cook, clean, do their laundry, buy their food, etc.) and they help with bills/upkeep (after 18), my kids are welcome as long as they want.

It's sad there are children moving back in home, but there are many reasons to consider.

I had some Mexican friends over for dinner at an apartment I lived in by myself. My parents lived about 3 miles away. They kept wondering if I hated my parents or used to be a criminal, because why else would an unmarried man live by himself? I think Americans put individuality above all else, including family.

:(

Age doesn't matter. Three of mine moved back in, including the one I thought would never, ever, ever want or need to. I mean they left again, but still they need what they need. My husband thinks 18 to 20 but I know better.

The youngest, my gypsy hippy child is the only one whose managed to stay on her feet. I'm waiting.

until you've taught him/her how to be responsible as can be. Then they can go out and at least fake being an adult. It may take a few tries. :D

:hi:

12 Years under daddys roof is more than enough!:evilgrin:

with the exception of about nine months in college, i lived with my dad until i was 24 and i know that, should i ever need it, the door is still open. i think the economy/job market is making it more difficult for some young adults to live on their own and a college degree isn't worth what it used to be.

i don't have kids, nor is it my place to judge, but what i don't get is parents who let their adult children live at home, not work and sponge off of them

The nuclear family is an artificial creation of the post-war American prosperity. Previously, we lived in extended families with multiple generations under one roof. The fact is there is no way for a young person to move out and hope to live in anything like a middle-class standard of living. Consequently, many are reluctant to do it.

but I left at 17 and have been on my own ever since. I see "kids" these days that never seem to leave...different day and age I guess :shrug: