The Not So Empty Nest

For two years now, we’ve been blogging here about the phenomenon of Boomerang Kids. Once considered an unusual event after leaving the nest empty, adult children now have moved back home in record numbers. According to Pew Research, more Millennials are now living with their parents than in any other housing arrangement, with over 20 million returning to their childhood homes. This new cultural shift is apparent throughout the world, and has become a societal norm for Millennials and their families. But even with its prevalence, there are areas of tension and complication in the ensuing family dynamics.

Our work in this area led Mary Rogers of Experience 50 Midlife Transitions to invite us to participate in one of her podcasts – and address how to make the experience a more positive one for the whole family. That dialogue, Your Not So Empty Nest, went live this week – you can listen to Mary’s interview with us by clicking on the link.

We discuss a wide range of topics concerning Boomerang Kids, ranging from the causes for their return home to the challenges it raises to coping strategies for all members of the family to use. Mary chats with us about five different family constellations described in our book, Whose Couch Is It Anyway, and how they react differently to the crowded nest. The Boomerang Kid experience can have both positive and more problematic elements – and we cover both in our podcast. So put your feet up and learn how to make your adult child’s return home a win-win for your family in flux.

Then, when you’ve finished listening to our conversation, you can look over the rest of Mary’s site, Experience50, and tune into other podcasts she’s completed, covering topics important to midlife women.