Re-nesting, Bommerang Families, and Failure-to-Launch
children are a phenomenon that we have not seen in generations past. Most Western
children have been raised, depending on culture, to leave home around the age
of eighteen to either go to college or begin a life of independence from their
parents (Effrosyni & Ezgi, 2018). There are various factors as to why an
adult child lives at home, including educational, financial, divorce, culture,
and age (Burn & Szoeke, 2016). Burn
& Szoeke (2016) suggested the greatest factor for an adult child living
with parents is if the home appears to be stable, strong, reliable, and in good
financial condition. An adult child living in the home can cause
increased financial pressures on parents leading to increased animosity in
the family.
The dynamics of
the family and the roles within it change with re-nesting. Parent-adult child
relationships can change due to the role the adult child occupies. Burn &
Szoeke (2016) discuss this dynamic and state “Relationships and roles that
worked when the young adult was still a child may no longer be applicable,
providing another source of tension” (p. 10). Strain in the relationship can
develop if financial issues and roles are not discussed and agreed upon between
parents and an adult child. Furthermore, Burn & Szoeke (2016) suggest that
the role change in co-residence, especially with Boomerang families, leads to a
renegotiation of parent-adult child roles into a more mature relationship. No
matter what the reason for an adult child living at home, the impact of co-residence
has positive and negative effects on the family. Once any negative effects of
roles and expectations are resolved, some families experience a warm, loving,
and mutually enjoyable relationship (Burn & Szoeke, 2016, p.12). In Paul's Epistle to the Corinthians, he reminds us, “Brethren, be not children in understanding: howbeit in malice be ye
children, but in understanding be men” (King James Bible, 1769/2017, I
Corinthians 14:20).
Conversely, Evans et al. (2021) research suggested that Bommerang
Children and Failure to Launch is seen in a negative light in the Western
world, but not in other cultures with a collectivistic society. Instead, the
authors stated that in collectivistic societies, adult children remain at home much
longer, or even continue to live in multigenerational households. However, in Western
culture, the high price of undergraduate and graduate education has put such a
strain on adult children that it is seemingly impossible to move out, have a
good-paying job, and afford college at the same time. Student financial loans
and the increased cost of living are also driving forces behind this phenomenon
(Effrosyni & Ezgi, 2018). Evans et al. (2021) concluded that some of the
negative opinions of adult children living at home originate from Western
society assuming parents have failed at raising their children to become
independent. It is also possible that our labor market and housing
market will be affected by adult children delaying their independence and
living separately from their parents. Once the housing market stabilizes from
the current economic uncertainty, there may still be less adults with the purchasing
power to own a home. This may be the first generation in Western culture to not
do better financially than their parents.
References
Adamopoulou, E., & Kaya, E. (2018). Young adults living with their parents and the influence of peers. Oxford Bulletin of Economics and Statistics, 80(3), 689-713. https://doi.org/10.1111/obes.12198.
Burn K., & Szoeke, C. (2016). Boomerang families and failure-to-launch: Commentary on adult children living at home, Maturitas, 83, 9-12 https://doi.org/10.1016/j.maturitas.2015.09.004.
Evans, V. L., Ferrier, P. J., Pugh, S. M., Bohecker, L., & Edwards, N. N. (2022). Coresidence is Not a Failure to Launch or Boomerang Children. The Family Journal, 30(3), 459–465. https://doi.org/10.1177/10664807211063197.
King James Bible (2017).
Cambridge University Press. (Original work published 1769).
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