Once the lease on his condo expired, 2011 University alumnus John Gambino packed his belongings and left Baton Rouge in his rearview mirror.
He set off to put his degree in advertising to use and earn money to repay his student loans.
The destination? His parents’ home in New Orleans.
Gambino is an example of a “boomerang kid” – a young adult who’s moved back in with his or her parents after spending time living away.
According to Pew Research Center data, 21.6 percent of adults ages 25 to 34 lived in a multi-generational household in 2010. That’s up from 15.8 percent in 2000.
Gambino, who now works as an account executive for WGNO-ABC 26 in New Orleans, said he decided to move back home so he could focus on swiftly repaying his student loans without the additional expense of rent. He estimates he’s saving at least $400 a month.
“The expectation of getting out of college, immediately getting a job and being gainfully employed and able to afford to support yourself, I don’t think that exists for our generation anymore,” he said. “We have to work a little bit harder at it, and that means sacrificing our independence and sucking it up and moving back in with mom and dad for a little while.”
Katherine Stamps Mitchell, human ecology and sociology assistant professor, said the country’s economic downturn may be to blame for the increasing number of adults moving back in with their parents.
In the Pew study, 39 percent of adults aged 18 to 34 cited the economy as their reason for returning home.
Mitchell said another factor is the increasing average age of marriage.
Because most college-aged young adults are unmarried, they don’t have a spouse to rely on during tough financial times and must turn to parents instead, Mitchell said.
“It’s definitely becoming more normative,” Mitchell said. “It’s not something to be associated with a great deal of shame.”
According to the study, 78 percent of young adults living at home are satisfied with their living situations and are optimistic toward the future.
Gambino agreed and said he’s content with his arrangement.
“It’s convenient. I don’t need my own house or apartment. This works for me at this point in my life,” he said.
Gambino called life at home “the same song and dance – just a little bit different.”
He said now that he’s older than 21, he doesn’t have much to hide from his parents, but they still ask about where he’s going, what he’s doing and when he’ll be back home.
While he said their overall relationship is better, Gambino said he and his parents frequently argue about paying for groceries and other expenses.
“They would love for me to move out,” Gambino said. “They’re willing to help me now because they know what loans are like, but they’re not thrilled with me being back.”
Mitchell said adult children and parents have to renegotiate rules and guidelines and can’t count on falling back into old routines. They have to learn to transition from a parent-child situation to a roommate situation, she said.
Mitchell said she’s interested to see if the phenomenon continues or fades away as the condition of the economy improves.
 
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Contact Emily Herrington at [email protected]