Many children having left home for three or four years to study are still returning home after their courses are complete. Parents who are just getting used to having their space and enjoying more time together with their partners are suddenly finding that their quiet, child-free home is becoming a hub of young people in and out, take-away boxes and loud music all over again. This time there are no toys to tidy at the end of the day but rather a messy kitchen, heaps of extra laundry and piles of ironing.

This invasion of the family home can cause a significant decline in parents’ health and well-being. A study actually found a decline in the quality of life of these parents by an average of 0.8 points on the researchers’ scale.

People have mixed feelings about boomerang children. Some are delighted to be able to connect on a more adult level with their children again and share new-found interests and hobbies like going to the gym together while others find the renewed responsibility an unwanted and difficult-to-cope-with pressure. Since records began in 1966, more young British adults are now living with their parents.

From young people’s point of view, they have less freedom to engage in wild behaviour in their parents’ homes and as such this can impact negatively on relationships and even friendships. Their space is not their own just as much as it is not their parents’ either. Moving back to their childhood home can also impact negatively on their self-esteem and confidence as they find themselves relying on their parents again. This undoubtedly deprives young people of learning to balance their finances, being responsible for paying their own bills and having the opportunity to get onto the property ladder.

What do you think? What is your experience of boomerang children? I’d love to hear from you so please leave a comment below!

Thanks for reading, Elisa x