My wife and I have this discussion all the time. We have two sons in their mid-20’s that are not as independent as we would like for them to be. It’s improving though.
The biggest mystery to us is, WHY doesn’t this generation have that desire for independence that we had? I was moved out at 17 and also have never looked back.
The only reason adults should live with their parents is if they are caring for them.
Assuming that's true, because the world is no longer some great mystery to be explored?
I had an assistant principal once and he hit the nail on the head. Kids today get to do what adults do when they are kids. Why bother to grow up? They have the benefits of adulthood without the responsibilities. Who wouldn’t go for that?
WHY doesn’t this generation have that desire for independence that we had?
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Because they have been spoiled beyond belief, little has been demanded of them, and they have so few parental restrictions that they feel no need to free themselves of their parents.
It is the difference between being raised in an environment which fosters self-respect versus self-esteem.
From the article: "I left home at 17 and never looked back," she said. "I felt like once I left my parents' house, I would have been a failure to go back."
It was socially stigmatizing to older generations to fail. It was damaging to one's sense of self-respect.
Those raised on self-esteem need no accomplishments to esteem themselves.
Regardless of how we may attempt to tweak the meme, the self-esteem thing is deeply pervasive in modern educational systems.
Didn't read the article, but a couple things come to mind: more people going to college, so they're staying at home during that time. Parents set up college funds years ago, so the kids are expected the parents to pony up the costs.
Once these kids graduate, they can't find an entry job in their field and won't take jobs "beneath" them and their degrees (in useless fields, in many cases).
“I was moved out at 17 and also have never looked back. The only reason adults should live with their parents is if they are caring for them.”
I was out of the house at 17, too. And I had a TERRIFIC childhood. I wasn’t running AWAY from anything. I was running TOWARD Life!
I care for my elderly Dad. He refuses to live with me. He says I’d ‘work him to death’ if he did, LOL! :)
Drive? Have you looked at what stuff costs these days?
It’s not just the big things but the small things.
1, employers are not hiring pretty much anyone in their 20s. If they are, they are hiring for temporary positions, or they are hiring for minimum wage. High turnover dead end positions.
The long-term jobs are simply not there. I’m 29. I’m on track very soon to have worked for more people then years that I’ve lived. Why?
Employers just aren’t willing to commit to employees. What’s a young man like me with an education supposed to do when he wants to put down roots and start a family, when employers want precisely the opposite?
I realize your frustration, but walk a mile in my shoes, please. I did all the right things, and because of it, I’m finally getting on the plus side. I paid off my school, and I own my own vehicle, but I was out of work for 2 years before I finally found something.
And I had to move across the country just to find work and a job opportunity.
Ask yourself if you were willing at 25 to move across the country to take a temporary position that may or may not lead to something bigger?