One in three Americans aged 18 to 31 living at home with parents

gopher

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Jun 26, 2005
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Minnesota: Gopher State
First you insult me by calling me one of your fellow Tea Baggers, now you call me a CONservative.

For this I challenge you to a duel:

 

Sal

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Sep 29, 2007
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I wonder if it has anything to do with kids not doing stuff for themselves any more. Of course kids today have parents with more means than our parents had who had just come through a couple of wars and a depression. Kids in those days thought having jam on the toast was a real treat and store bought jam was virtually unheard of.
I think there are several factors at work including that one. Parents seem to be overly involved in their kids lives right down to orchestrating everything for them. I can think of several friends of mine who are doing way more for their kids than I would deem to be healthy. A for instance with that is one whose kid has two college diplomas in different areas and now they are putting him through school for his B.A. because the job he is currently doing will require it in order for him to advance. At least he has found his niche but in the mean time they pay everything for school, all tuition, and rent money for him, and contribute toward his food. If they weren't doing so she would be retired by now.

I also think that my generation encouraged kids to get a higher education as we did. It did not pan out as well for them because the job need is trades. Lots of kids have a B.A. but teaching is a closed profession so you now need an M.A really.

Also their expectation level is higher than my generation. I didn't care that my first apartment had a couch in the living room with a steamer trunk for a coffee table and one old lamp from the Salvation army along with mixed cutlery and cups and plates that didn't match. My bed was a second hand roll out couch in my bedroom and an old lamp sat on the floor for a year until I could afford to buy furniture. These kids expect a fully furnished apartment with all the trimmings. And they want to spend money going here and there.

That's how they were raised.
 

JLM

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Nov 27, 2008
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I think there are several factors at work including that one. Parents seem to be overly involved in their kids lives right down to orchestrating everything for them. I can think of several friends of mine who are doing way more for their kids than I would deem to be healthy. A for instance with that is one whose kid has two college diplomas in different areas and now they are putting him through school for his B.A. because the job he is currently doing will require it in order for him to advance. At least he has found his niche but in the mean time they pay everything for school, all tuition, and rent money for him, and contribute toward his food. If they weren't doing so she would be retired by now.

I also think that my generation encouraged kids to get a higher education as we did. It did not pan out as well for them because the job need is trades. Lots of kids have a B.A. but teaching is a closed profession so you now need an M.A really.

Also their expectation level is higher than my generation. I didn't care that my first apartment had a couch in the living room with a steamer trunk for a coffee table and one old lamp from the Salvation army along with mixed cutlery and cups and plates that didn't match. My bed was a second hand roll out couch in my bedroom and an old lamp sat on the floor for a year until I could afford to buy furniture. These kids expect a fully furnished apartment with all the trimmings. And they want to spend money going here and there.

That's how they were raised.

You're in touch with reality, Sal, at least the reality of our day. (I think the reality of the present day might be short lived) -:)
 

gerryh

Time Out
Nov 21, 2004
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I think there are several factors at work including that one. Parents seem to be overly involved in their kids lives right down to orchestrating everything for them. I can think of several friends of mine who are doing way more for their kids than I would deem to be healthy. A for instance with that is one whose kid has two college diplomas in different areas and now they are putting him through school for his B.A. because the job he is currently doing will require it in order for him to advance. At least he has found his niche but in the mean time they pay everything for school, all tuition, and rent money for him, and contribute toward his food. If they weren't doing so she would be retired by now.

I also think that my generation encouraged kids to get a higher education as we did. It did not pan out as well for them because the job need is trades. Lots of kids have a B.A. but teaching is a closed profession so you now need an M.A really.

Also their expectation level is higher than my generation. I didn't care that my first apartment had a couch in the living room with a steamer trunk for a coffee table and one old lamp from the Salvation army along with mixed cutlery and cups and plates that didn't match. My bed was a second hand roll out couch in my bedroom and an old lamp sat on the floor for a year until I could afford to buy furniture. These kids expect a fully furnished apartment with all the trimmings. And they want to spend money going here and there.

That's how they were raised.

You're in touch with reality, Sal, at least the reality of our day. (I think the reality of the present day might be short lived) -:)



I just love the broad brush you two use. None of the kids I know fit the what you are describing.
 

JLM

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Nov 27, 2008
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I just love the broad brush you two use. None of the kids I know fit the what you are describing.

I guess everyone is allowed their own opinion!

When I was a kid some kids had paper routes, now it's mostly senior delivering papers while kids are "hanging" out. That should tell you something.
 

gerryh

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Nov 21, 2004
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I guess everyone is allowed their own opinion!

When I was a kid some kids had paper routes, now it's mostly senior delivering papers while kids are "hanging" out. That should tell you something.


really? it's a kid that delivers our paper.
 

Sal

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Sep 29, 2007
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I guess everyone is allowed their own opinion!

When I was a kid some kids had paper routes, now it's mostly senior delivering papers while kids are "hanging" out. That should tell you something.
yes I noticed that here too. I was surprised actually but it makes sense...seniors do my building for the 5:00 AM delivery but then I see kids pulling wagons with papers in them for the afternoon delivery for our street.
 

JLM

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Nov 27, 2008
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No, that's more than one as Sal has also seen kids delivering papers.


Looking out your living room window does not give you a world view of things.

That is true, but walking all over the city, which I do on a regular basis helps a little bit. As a matter of fact saw an old codger delivering papers this morning. -:)
 

gerryh

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Nov 21, 2004
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That is true, but walking all over the city, which I do on a regular basis helps a little bit. As a matter of fact saw an old codger delivering papers this morning. -:)


not saying that they don't, but you are saying that they are and kids aren't.
 

Locutus

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Jun 18, 2007
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Not to linger on a generational thing too much because those older than me have their own stories...

In my case I was happy and excited to leave home, have my 'freedom', lose my dad's 'rules', whatever. In 1977 I was 18, got a f/t job, bought an old beater ('71 LTD Brougham) and moved from Portage to Winnipeg. I've been basically gainfully employed ever since (less 4 years of University as a mature student). Saw plenty of this country on various employers dimes.

Even when I was pretty stupid and running amok, I never thought of asking to move back home.

What's with that?

People will blame the economy, high tuition (apparently there are a lot of poor-a s s grads in-debt), employers requiring high degrees for level-entry, Bush, Obama, Wall Street, Walmart, marketing to youth, peer pressure and maybe even the previous generation. Blame.

I say expectations, assumptions, presumptions, 'wants over needs', lifestyles, and in some cases, yes, laziness.

I'll bet if most of these hipsters had a trade, they wouldn't have much need to move back home with mommy and daddy. They have MA's in Women's' Studies, 19th century Literature, Social Organizing, Rural Douchebaggery, lottsa devices to maintain I'm sure, nights out with friends at the clubs, a little weed to smoke, cars, fuel and insurance to pay for, fashionable clothes, take-out food, video games, and maybe a Costco membership...who really knows. But you can't tell me they can't fend for themselves. They may not WANT to do that but it's the easier softer way to move back home than to grow up, tough it out and be an adult.

What? Too harsh?

Too bad.
 

gerryh

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Nov 21, 2004
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No Gerry, it's just more seniors and fewer kids doing it today than 60 years ago.


I wonder why that is....... could it be the papers consider a senior more dependable than a child so they higher the senior and pay the senior the same thing they pay the kid? We could look at it as those fu cking seniors are stealing jobs from those poor kids and not allowing them to learn the lessons they would have if they had the responsibility of a paper route. Pretty damn selfish of those seniors.
 

JLM

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Nov 27, 2008
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I wonder why that is....... could it be the papers consider a senior more dependable than a child so they higher the senior and pay the senior the same thing they pay the kid? We could look at it as those fu cking seniors are stealing jobs from those poor kids and not allowing them to learn the lessons they would have if they had the responsibility of a paper route. Pretty damn selfish of those seniors.

Now I'm going to be very careful what I say lest you misinterpret it. SOME newspaper personnel MAY think that SOME seniors are more ready to work the early hours of the morning than SOME kids who prefer to sleep between the hours of 5 AM and noon and they prefer to have the papers delivered so the customer can read it while having breakfast. Of course this doesn't include your kids or my kids or anybody else's kids we happen to know. -:)
 

gerryh

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Nov 21, 2004
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Now I'm going to be very careful what I say lest you misinterpret it. SOME newspaper personnel MAY think that SOME seniors are more ready to work the early hours of the morning than SOME kids who prefer to sleep between the hours of 5 AM and noon and they prefer to have the papers delivered so the customer can read it while having breakfast. Of course this doesn't include your kids or my kids or anybody else's kids we happen to know. -:)


well, if it's no one you know, where are you getting your information from?
 

Angstrom

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May 8, 2011
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Psychologically kids have given up.
Most young adults look at our system, and instantly hate it.
So they dont participate.

A great deal of younger adults are deliberately not participating in the system.
They feel disfranchised, and do not agree with the status quo.