Kids' Return Home Takes Toll on Parents

I was 28 years-old when I moved in with my old man in Fresno. I was transferring to Fresno State and Dad gave me a place to live. It was really hard. I think the toll wasn't on my father but on me. I moved out after the first year. And there was a lot of animosity by the time I met my future wife and we moved to Santa Barbara for grad school. But I'm glad I did it. Looking back at it now, the time I spent with Dad in Fresno was irreplaceable. Strange how the later years provide perspective.

The circumstances are different at this WSJ piece, but I can imagine how it is for a lot of young people moving back in with their folks. See, "The Toll on Parents When Kids Return Home":

As recent college graduates scramble to find full-time jobs, numerous parents are helping their children pay bills or letting them live at home again. About 59% of parents provide or recently provided financial assistance to children aged 18 to 39 who weren't students, concluded a May survey of nearly 1,100 people by the National Endowment for Financial Education.

According to Census data, 5.9 million Americans between 25 and 34 years of age—nearly a quarter of whom have bachelor's degrees—live with their parents, a significant increase from 4.7 million before the recession.

But many parents can't afford the extra expense. A full 26% of those polled by the nonprofit group took on more debt to help their offspring, 13% delayed a planned life event such as a home purchase, and 7% postponed retirement.