Better video games, and more young adults living at home???
So then, are the middle age parents just letting their adult children lay around the house and do nothing but play???
I could never have done that. We were expected to go out in the world and be productive independent adults .
Indeed, we wanted that. We wanted to be adults in all ways, including living on our own and paying our own bills.
My wife told the kids they were welcome to move back in after college if they needed to. I told our kids the same thing, but handed each of them a McDonald's application and said that could help them to pay their rent if they needed to move in. There is nothing like clear expectations for improving motivation.
I was raised by a father who never took a dime of charity, went to work every day and didn't call in sick for over 30 years. It would be mortifying to even think of sitting around in his house playing video games while he got up and went to work. I just could not do it.
Through his example, I endeavored to follow the same path of self-reliance and pride in oneself. I got a paper route at age 13 and from that point on was never unemployed again. When I got out of high school, I chose the military over college and was in boot camp before my 18th birthday. After the military, I was able to get a college education on my own time (and a little help from VEAP).
I must have set a good example for my own sons as both of them worked part-time jobs through school and quickly moved out of the house when they graduated while holding down decent jobs.