Reductress recently had an article on the top ten cities in which to meet men who still live with their parents. The apron strings may be thicker in these locales, or possibly employment prospects are harsher there, according to their somewhat snarky comments:
1. Davenport, Iowa
2. Staten Island, NY
3. Salt Lake City, Utah
4. Homer, Alaska
5. Odessa, Texas
6. Flint, Michigan
7. Homestead, Florida
8. Myrtle Beach, SC
9. Dayton, Ohio
10. Stockton, California
Anyway, the venerable Huff Post took up this story lately too.
But I feel a necessity for the Devil's Advocate role here: why is continuing to live with the parents a bad thing? It might suggest successfully being able to live in a multi-generational situation, and probably maintaining good relationships with one's parents. They may not be parental domicile basement-dwellers who are otakus or internet trolls.
No, I'm afraid that one element behind the bitchiness inherent in the article is that the places named are not on the list of Cool Places to Live! Seattle, Atlanta, New York City, Miami, Austin, and San Francisco did not make the roll call of these places where males live with their parents. (At least stereotypically uncool places like Bakersfield, CA, Cleveland, OH, Omaha, NB, and Montgomery, AL were not mentioned!)
And if living with parents means having a lack of feck, or money, or independence, how come women in their twenties get a pass on it? No, normal families (speaking from personal experience) do tend to adapt to the realities of one or more of the children going into adulthood while staying at home, and in a number of cases there may be some who return to their parents' home.
9 comments:
Love your pictures! From the "old school" moving back in with the parents has a bad image for a guy or for a gal, as it appears that they are clinging and dependent, not able to strike out on their own. The world has changed and in some places jobs are hard to come by in some areas. And really those who judge do not know but what the kid is helping the parents by paying some rent, etc. Myself, I try not to stick my nose into other peoples' business. The person stands on their own behavior. What do you think?
Guys may stay into adulthood with their parents out of necessity or to complete education goals. There is though a small percentage who are just unadventuresome and timid.
they are certainly scattered throughout the country.
I moved out when I turned 18, I wanted to move out long before then. However, that being said, many societies have the whole family living together more or less forever, with the females leaving their families to live with their husbands.
I couldn't handle that!
It's all about money and lack of well paying jobs. It's hard to rent an apartment on minimum wage.
It is stigma for guys I guess. But with today's economy there are more inter-generational households as is quite normal in Hawaii due to high rents, Polynesian and Asian family styles. . . . .
ALOHA from Honolulu, Pastry Girl
ComfortSpiral
=^..^= . <3 . >< } } (°>
at the age of 26 I had to be dragged kickin and screamin from my parents house - having to actually pay for things myself was a rude awakening.
This is definitely a product of the economy, and making adjustments to it. I lived for a spell with my parents as an adult after Katrina before my sales job and grad school.
Mike nailed it.
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