Some people who live with their parents might get teased, but it is not fair to make fun of them. Other people don’t know their circumstances. Living with your parents should be more normalized because sometimes it is the smarter option while saving money, paying off student debt or looking for a job.

Ideally, college, trade school or stepping out into the workforce would guarantee a job placement. Unfortunately, finding a job is much more complicated than that. According to “Can’t Find a Job After College? 5 Ways to Get A Good Job,” posted online by the Career Center at the University of Missouri, “It’s common to have difficulty finding a job in your field (or sometimes any job after graduating).” The article also mentions it’s common to not have a job even one to two years post-college.

Despite these challenges a Quora user stated, “I’m 19 and feel bad I’m still living with my parents.” The user then asked if this was normal.

According to a report from online marketing platform Gitnux.com entitled, “Getting A Job After College Statistics 2023: Key Insights And Trends,” “The Covid 19 pandemic has had a significant effect on recent graduates’ job prospects, career choices, and access to resources.”

Because Covid 19 increased the difficulty of finding a job immediately after college, it made sense for college students and some graduates to live with their parents until they find a job. Students might be living with their parents for free or paying rent.

Regardless of the arrangement they worked out, we should not judge them or otherwise put them down. Students could be job hunting and not having any luck or are employed and saving up to move into their own place.

In some cultures it’s normal to live with your parents past 18 years of age. According to “Countries where the Most Young Adults Live With Their Parents” published by U.S News, the three highest countries that have young adults living with their parents are Italy, Slovenia and Greece.

Given how normalized living with parents is in other countries, it should be the same in the United States.

Recent survey findings from The Pew Research Center state,“A majority of young adults in the U.S live with their parents for the first time since the Great Depression,” citing that 52% of adults in the US are doing so.. The article also notes “Young adults have been particularly hit hard by 2020’s pandemic and economic downturn and have been more likely to move according to a Pew Research Center Survey.”

Kiplinger, a personal finance and investing website, posted an article “Failure to Launch: When Young Adults Live with Parents,” which notes people who live with their parents are often joked about, “although when you look at raising rental prices, massive student debt and a minimum wage that rarely gets raised, it makes sense why more opt for this choice.”. The article also reports 17% of the U.S population see living with parents in adulthood as a negative experience.

Some parents might also have a concern that their grown children do not plan on leaving the house. Parents can set boundaries in order for their adult children to keep from getting too comfortable, such as doing some work around the house, charging them rent or having them prove they are looking for a job.

It should be more acceptable for children to live with their parents into adulthood. They should not be teased for it because no one knows their circumstances except them.

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