Letter to the Editor

Return to the nest -- another point of view

Thursday, April 25, 2019

Dear Editor,

If you’re an empty nester, you might not want to get too comfortable. These days, young and not-so-young adult children are moving back at much larger rates than 50 years ago. Thirty-nine percent of adults ages 18-34 report that they live with their parents or that they moved back home for financial reasons.

Author Ann Befort doesn’t malign the millennials by listing their shortcomings, but instead sees this trent as a result of economic woes and societal change.

The author feels that the Great Recession spurred this shift back to the home, that young adults are delaying marriage and that the U.S., because of its ever-increasing diversity, has many subcultures that have different traditions about multi-generational living. all these factors tend to skew that statistics and therefore they may be misunderstood.

Societal norms ae changing. The attitudes about marriage and child-raising are in flux, and the escalator to ascend to more secure financial conditions is breaking down.

We also need to recognize the crushing load of financial responsibility the millennials and forthcoming generations will have to bear in taking care of the aging baby boomers.

This trend of returning to the nest is equally likely to happen in households of $100,000 yearly income as it is in households earning $30,000 in the same time span..

Adults ages 18-34 who have always lived at home or moved back in temporarily for economic reasons may find this arrangement affects their relationship with their parents.

Statistics show that 34% of the boomerang generation reported that their relationships had improved, 18% felt that living with their parents negatively affected family relationships and 47% didn’t notice any change in familial relationships.

This whole situation brings one to wonder how the adult children living at home contribute to the family households. Ninety-six percent help with chores, 75% pay cash expenses including utilities and food, while 35% paid rent to their parents.

Add to the mix that the middle class is disappearing, greatly distressing all of America. Predicting what will happen is a bit like predicting the weather.

Volunteerism, generosity and cooperation will help.

Class warfare will not.

Janine Hall-Pantenburg

McCook, Neb.

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