I have been noticing a new trend lately. Perhaps it has been going on for a while and I am just now picking up on it. Has anyone noticed how teens are not as anxious to leave home when they reach eighteen?
I do not have to look very far. Mother's neighbor across the street has a son around 26 to 28 years of age. At one time he even brought his girlfriend to live with him. She wised up and moved out, he is still at home with his parents.
The nice neighbor that mows along the fence line has had his unemployed step-son living there for years. He is married with three children and his wife does not work either. He did move out for about two years when he got a job in the oil patch but after he got laid-off they moved back home. He is in his late-twenties.
Next door to the above neighbor is the widower. He has four sons ranging in age from 16 to 28. The youngest one is in high school and understandably lives at home. His oldest son lives there with his girlfriend and two kids. While she works, he does not. I do not know what the other two do for a living but they have never moved out.
Two lots down the lady that lives there has two daughters. The oldest is 26, she moved out to live with her boyfriend when she was 22 years old. They broke up and she is back at home.
My nightmare of a neighbor in Houston has three sons. The two that originally moved in with her both work, have nice cars and could afford an apartment but they live with her and her husband. Her oldest who is in his early 40's got a divorce and moved back home with his 17-year-old son. With five cars between them, guess where they park? Yep, in my driveway...wish they would all move out!
I am not making any judgment calls. There are many young adults that never leave home or move back because they are going to school, have heavy student debt or are saving for a home. However, that is not the case with our neighbors.
I did not get a chance to move out because I left to go to school and that was good enough for me. When I graduated my father fully expected me to move back home...my mother knew better.
In my case, it was different because Latin women are not supposed to leave their parents home until they get married no matter how old you happen to be. Let me clarify that...Latin women, of my generation whose parents still held on to long time traditions which I refused to have any part of. You can imagine how upset my old fashion father was as he got a double whammy when I announced that not only did I not plan to move back to Del Rio but that I was moving to Houston...jajajajaja :D
Good night. May you all have Terlingua Dreams.
Terlingua Dreams
Governors Landing Campground - Lake Amistad - Del Rio, Texas
I think for many of the ones I see and hear about have so much student debt they can't afford to do anything else. It's hard to pay rent when you already have a mortgage-sized debt for your education. From what I've heard, most were not really fully informed of what the loans would end up costing them - I know several who were lied to and the bottom line was glossed over very quickly.
ReplyDeleteI think the second reason is the economy, the state of the country and the world, etc. Things can seem in so bad a shape that there is a "what's the use" feeling by many younger folks. I'm not commenting on the lazy ones who think they can bring their spouses or significant others, plus their kids, back home. There are probably a lot of other reasons for this phenomenon but you are right in that a lot of younger people don't seem to have a compass in their lives.
You are correct to say that many young people had no idea the terrible debt they were acquiring with their student loans. I was in shock when my friends showed me the huge coupon books that were sent to them upon their graduation so they could begin the re-payment of said loans.
DeleteThat was nothing compared to the obscene amounts that recent college graduates now have to pay back.
I will be forever grateful to my parents for having paid for my education.
Me 2, Ss (gratefulness). When one checks out the cost of renting an apartment plus the cost of living day to day, most kids in their 20's or even older can't make the ends meet. Even if minimum wage went up to $15 it would be tough to make ends meet plus tougher if you have little mouths to feed.
DeleteMeanwhile our SPURS are working hard getting ready for the new season! I like what I see!!!! All the new faces and seeing what they can bring gets the silver and black mojo exciting!
I too am thrilled and hopeful with all the new talent that our SPURS have acquired thus far. The start of the new season is not very far off...and I for one are happy about that.
DeleteGSG!!!