Are your kids graduating college this year? Plan ahead for a smooth transition home.
We posted a new article on our site today, all about how you can plan ahead to make sure your new grad’s return to the nest is a smooth one. Here are some tips from the article:
- Establish ground rules now: Some families with adult children living at home find a contract can help formalize the rules and keep everyone on the same page.
- Decide ahead of time how they will contribute: They may not be able to afford market-value rent, but adult children living at home should help make a dent in the extra expenses they create (extra gas, higher phone bill, etc.). Make sure this is clear before they start packing up the dorm.
- Don’t help too much: A college grad is capable of painting their room and planning their own move. Don’t take care of all the details or you’ll find yourself doing laundry and making lunches once they’re home.
- Set a deadline for them to leave: Though it may sound harsh, setting a time limit ahead of time helps keep everyone focused on the fact that eventually the new grad needs to establish their independence.
- Above all: Stay calm! Planning the details of your new grad’s return to the nest can be stressful, but anger isn’t helpful. Try a time out, or work on developing new communication techniques – they’ll come in handy once you’re all sharing a home.
You can read the rest of the article here.
Number of adult children living at home triples in Britain
Last year at this time, 500,000 adult children aged 18-34 were living at home in Britain. Now, according to a survey by Abbey Mortgages, the number has risen to 1.6 million. Plus, another 300,000 adult children aged 35 -54 are also living at home.
You can read more about this trend in a recent article from the Telegraph.
New college grads having a tough time finding jobs
With unemployment rising sharply just as this year’s class of graduates is coming to the end of their education, people are starting to wonder just what will happen to the class of 2009.
The young graduates themselves seem terrified, with a huge portion of them planning to move home because there’s no other way they can see themselves making rent.
Here are some thoughts from college seniors from a recent article at NewsDaily.com:
“You’re graduating into this world and being thrown out of the college bubble and you’re supposed to be able to get a job, which just doesn’t exist.
“Most people I know my age still live at home because they can’t even get it together to make enough money to pay rent. Each class piles up against the ones before it. I know so many people who are looking for jobs, and have been since they graduated. There’s this sense of ‘No hope.’”
– Andrew Heber, 24, class of 2007“People are saying this is the worst year to graduate, ever.”
– Amanda Haimes, 22, class of 2009
If you have an adult child who is set to graduate this Spring, now’s the time to start the conversation about future living arrangements. Some new graduates may assume they’re moving home to live with Mom and Dad, even if they haven’t let you in on the plan. Talk to them now about what their plans are, and what your expectations are if they do return to the nest.
Even more stories of adult children living at home
More stories of adult children living at home, this time from the Wall Street Journal.
Interesting online discussion about adult children living at home
There is an interesting online discussion about adult children living at home happening here. The questions up for discussion are:
Do you live in culture where it would be considered inappropriate to move out of the family home before you are married? Are you a parent who feels you have brought up your children to the best of your ability and now its time for you start enjoying life as a couple again? or are you a twenty something desperate to strike out on your own but constrained by the cost of it?
More stories of adult children living at home
We keep hearing more and more stories of adult children living at home as the economy worsens and more people lose jobs and can’t afford their housing costs.
This recent article from the LA Times shares a few of those stories.
This growing trend can be really tough on families, as the article reveals. For help with the challenges of dealing with extra people living in your home, visit www.adultchildrenlivingathome.com.
Utah city may expand health care coverage to adult children living at home
Sandy, Utah city council is discussing a plan that would see adult children living at home benefit from health care insurance if their parents are city employees.
You can read more about the debate on this issue here.
Decor tips for adult children living at home
Returning to a childhood room that still looks like a childhood room can be hard on the self-esteem of adult children who move back home. There are ways to decorate an adult child’s room that maximize investment in pieces for future use, and minimize impact on the parents’ home after they leave. This article provides some tips on how to make the decor of an adult child’s room work or everyone in the home.