Failure to Launch Chronicling the trials and tribulations
Failure to Launch Chronicling the trials and tribulations of the Boomerang generation
What is a boomerang kid? A young adult who moves back in with his/her parents after a period of independence. Can take a variety of forms (highly to semi-dependent) Most correctly applied to the middle class
Question and Movie clip Why do you think adult children return home? https: //www. youtube. com/watch? v=4 KZM 3 PRV 0 NM
What did we see in the film? Tripp moves back home with parents despite being financially able to take care of himself. Spoiler alert! All of Tripp’s are friends white Parents are not satisfied with the living arrangements. Parents of adult children who have moved out demonstrate greater marriage satisfaction
Reasons for returning home
Reasons for returning to the parental home South and Lei (2015) examined a number of factors using longitudinal data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics’ Transition into Adulthood survey (n=1, 521) why adults return to the parental home which include: Characteristics of the family home (closeness with family, co-resident siblings, mother’s educational attainment Physical or sexual victimization outside of the home Assisting a sick parent
Tripp’s reasons for returning to the family home Not based on income Related to a life course transition Comfort of family home Relatively well off parents but in good health Mother’s educational attainment unknown
Marital satisfaction of parents
According to the research Role loss and role strain (empty nest syndrome vs stress of caring for adult children and it’s impact on marital satisfaction Parents’ relationship with boomerang children tend to be positive but some report issues with sharing household tasks and resources Decrease in sexual activity between emeritus parents (Bouchard, 2013)
Racial characteristics of boomerang kids
In the movie Tripp and his friends are white All are college educated All (perhaps with the exception of Bradley Cooper’s character) have access to financial resources
In the research Britton (2013) used data from the National Education Longitudinal Survey of 1988 ( N = 11, 228) Asian and Hispanic children more likely to stay with parents into adulthood viewed more positively African American men also more likely to stay in parents’ home longer due to views on marriage Children of immigrants are also more likely to continue to reside or return to parental home
Questions? In your opinion…. Did the movie get it right regarding: Reasons for returning home Parental perceptions and marriage satisfaction Racial characteristics of boomerang children
Sources Bouchard, G. (2014). How do parents react when their children leave home? An integrative review. Journal of adult development, 21: 69 -79. Britton, M. L. (2013). Race/ethnicity, attitudes, and living with parents during young adulthood. Journal of marriage and family, 75: 995 -1013. South, S. J. and Lei, L. (2015). Failures to launch and boomerang kids: contemporary determinants of leaving and returning to the parental home. Social forces 94(2): 863 -890.
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