Boo•mer•ang kid (noun): a young adult who goes back to live with a parent after a period of independence.
As a millennial in college, a lot of people ask what I’m doing with my life. Almost everyone asks me, “Are you going to move back home?”
No.
Everyone is so shocked when I say, “no,” which confuses me. Why has it become so common and socially acceptable for college kids (primarily) to move back home? I love my family more than anything, but I don't want to move back in with them. According to The New York Times, “One in five people in their 20s and early 30s is currently living with his or her parents. And 60 percent of all young adults receive financial support from them.”
We just spent, on average, four years learning how to establish ourselves as adults, so why we would we regress to how we were in high school?
I refuse to be a Boomerang Kid and here’s why:
I’m Going to Establish My Independence
Yes, while we do create some support and independence for ourselves while in college, it becomes very different when we have to pay our bills and work 40+ hour work weeks. We always have the crutch: the structure of a class/social schedule, the security of a parent’s support or house, the comfort of having our friends live on/by campus, etc. Seldom do we want to embrace being on our own and having to “adult.” It isn’t easy, so we want to reject having to do so, when in reality, we are meant to leave the nest and start our own lives. I think we need to realize the significance and importance of being self-sufficient and on our own.
I’m Not Going to Be Lazy
I’m going to find a job. I am going to bust my ass to put food on the table and a roof over my head. It’s so much easier said than done, but instead of merely accepting the fact it is going to be difficult, I am going to face the challenge head-on. I am not going to settle for what is “easy” or “convenient.” We millennials, though driven and passionate for innovation, have grown to be complacent and forget what it's like to work hard.
I’m Going to Learn How to Handle My Finances
We have the identity “broke college kid” for a reason: we’re supposed to be broke. At this age, extreme financial stability doesn’t exist, which is okay. It just means we have to work hard and learn how to budget. Of course it’s easy to move back home and be supported by one or two parents who have already mastered this whole “adulting” thing. People move back home to save up to move out, which is a very valid point to move back, but sometimes people don’t move out. I don’t want to be financially supported by my parents while I’m trying to be on my own. We should want to learn how to be responsible for our money. We might struggle, but it will be worth it in the long-run.
Honestly, after all of the struggles, it will be so rewarding. We will get to step back, look, and be proud of the lives we've established — we will get to show our friends and family what we've accomplished. I don't know how that sounds to you, but it sounds damn good to me.
I’ll finish with this, while I will never be a Boomerang Kid, I do see the legitimate reasons why people are — family emergencies, ready-to-go plans to move in three months, etc. However, this article is for the millennials who need to wake-up and get out of the comfort zone of home and get off the couch of laziness.
Millennials, it’s time we grow up. It’s time we decide not to be a Boomerang Kid.
