UHaul truck outside home
Leah Berenson
Leah Berenson
March 13, 2024 ·  4 min read

‘I Moved Back in With Mom and Dad At 45 – And I Have No Plans to Leave’

While growing up, most people couldn’t wait to move out of their parent’s house. It was the ultimate sign of adulthood. However, given the pandemic and the rising cost of, well, living, many people have opted to move back in with their parents. The term for this type of trend is “boomerang kids.” It may sound self-explanatory, but it describes the tendency for some children to eventually ‘boomerang’ back into the household — and in some cases, they aren’t just kids, but middle-aged adults.

Care for Those Who Cared for You

For many cultures in the world, multigenerational living is a normal part of everyday life. It is not uncommon for parents to move in with children or grandchildren. The harsh reality is that as we age, so do our bodies. For most people there comes a time when a typical task such as showering, or cooking becomes unsafe. In these instances, people often require some assistance. Who better to be there for you than the people who love you?

One Woman’s Story

We often hear of people moving back in with their parents. Usually, this is only a temporary stint in your early to mid-twenties, but that isn’t always the case. Laurel Collins is a woman in her mid 40’s who has moved back home. Her story, which was featured in HuffPost Personal has been getting a lot of attention. In it, Laurel explains that despite being 45 years old, she has no plans to leave her parents’ home in the near future.

Read: Internet backs man who won’t let parents move in after they kicked him out years ago

Leaning on Her Family

Laurel Collins decided to move back home a few years ago as a temporary living situation and has now been back home for more than 6 years. She had been in a relationship for nearly 20 years when it ended, and Laurel was living in a small town at the time. She had moved there for the sake of her now ex-partner and despite having some friends, she felt isolated and far from the people she loved most. Laurel packed up her house and moved back in with her mom and dad. She found a part-time teaching job and intended to move out as soon as she felt like she was back on her feet. However, she quickly learned that the benefits of living with her family outweighed the negative aspects.

Laurel Collins. Image Credit: Laurel Collins | HuffPost

Coming to Terms with the Term, “Boomerang Kids”

As we age, daily tasks become more challenging and Laurel felt a sense of comfort in knowing she could be there to help her family, while also having the opportunity to save money. Not long after the pandemic hit, her sister also moved back in. The family of four has had to make some adjustments. She gives the example that her father listens to the TV much too loud, and her mother wants to eat dinner earlier than she would prefer. These are minor inconveniences when looking at the whole picture. Laurel, her sister, and the rest of the generation currently making the choice to go home are referred to as “Boomerang Kids”.

Read: Single mom besties move in together to raise their families as a platonic unit

Who are “boomerang kids”?

Boomerang kids are known as such because they have the tendency to “boomerang” back home with their parents. Generally, the reason for this ranges as everyone is different. The most common causes for “boomerang kids” are the cost of living and parents’ need for care or assistance. Surveys have shown that there may be another cause for this rise in “boomerang kids“.

Multigenerational families are more common in communities with a higher immigrant population. Compared to white Americans, Hispanics, Asians, and African Americans are more likely to live with older generations.

Why, so many “Boomerang Kids“?

While there were plenty of “boomerang kids” prior to the pandemic, the numbers have since skyrocketed. People were laid off for an extensive period of time or lost their jobs, altogether. Generation X and Millennials are thought to be the first generations in American History to earn less money than previous generations, based on current economic trends. Not only are these generations making less, but they’re also spending more in order to get by.

The cost of everything will likely continue to rise, rapidly, while wages will stay the same or increase more slowly. The intent was a temporary solution until people began to realize how much better off they were back home. During March of 2021, census-data reports showed the number of boomerang kids had reached 59.7 million. Post-Pandemic data shows that nearly 4 out of 10 males ages 25-29 are living back at home or with older relatives.

Is it weird to be an adult living back at home?

The truth about life is that we’re all on our own journey so no one should be basing their choices off of others. However, to better understand how common your situation might be, the answer in short is no. It isn’t weird to be a “boomerang kid“. People previously thought those moving back home after entering adulthood were behind the curve. However, as explained by Collins, the truth is that a great deal of benefit comes from making this decision.

Keep Reading: ‘My Wife Of 52 Years Just Died. My Grief Is So Overwhelming, I Can Barely Cope’

Sources

  1. “I Moved Back In With Mom And Dad At 45 – And I Have No Plans To Leave” HuffPost. April 18, 2022.
  2. Financial issues top the list of reasons U.S. adults live in multigenerational homes.” Pew Research. D’Vera Cohn, et al. March 24, 2022.
  3. Who are the Boomerang Kids?Pew Research. March 15, 2012.
  4. The adult ‘boomerang kids’ moving home to their parents.” BBC. Andrea Yu. February 10, 2022.