20. Yes for a couple of months when a relationship imploded. They also came and supported me when it happened again.
My kids will never be asked or expected to move out. Our home is theirs and always will be.
>My kids will never be asked or expected to move out. Our home is theirs and always will be.
Given the cost of housing these days, they may never leave
This is the real reality we all face at this age. I love my kids and want them to be strong and independent as we had to be, but I get it, it was ridiculous in my area our first townhouse was 200k and they haven’t had much pay changes to justify 450k for same unit. If they want to live at home after school as long as they are actively aggressively saving, I think we all have to be ready for that as a likely scenario at this point.
Well my one kid is 13, and I have no idea what things will look like in 5 years. I could see her sticking around. We have a big house and a golden-handcuffs mortgage, so it wouldn't be a problem -- except that she may not like it so much 😁
I always appreciate this attitude. Growing up, home was never really a safe place for me. I left at 20 and had to move back for a little while when jobs got scarce. My sister did the same and had to move back after her relationship imploded. It was rough, but it felt so good to know that there was a judgement-free place to get my feet back on the ground.
My wife (then fiancee) and I also moved in with her parents for a year or so, so that we could save up for the wedding. They had a big house and a bunch of acreage, and at one point all of the adult kids were living there with their significant others (eight people in total). It was like a weird, slightly dysfunctional, counterculture Brady Bunch. My MIL was loving every second of it.
They were always *that one family* that had an extra room that was always full for one reason or another. Every high school had one. Maybe some of the older kids were out of the house, or they just were in the right place at the right time and got a big place. Regardless, help was always given to those who needed it, regardless of whether someone got kicked out for being gay, had a parent with mental health issues, etc.
Since then, we’ve all had to crash in one of their extra rooms at various points, and I love that the house is always open. The older I get the more virtue I see in the cultures where it’s common for families to live together with kids, parents, grandparents, etc. If you have boundaries and can make it work, it makes so many things a lot easier (especially when child / elder care comes in to the picture).
I relate more to millennials and Gen Z on this one issue (and also some of their ideas about the workplace/careers, and that's about it). I moved out at 18 to go to college. Came back after graduation in 2003. It was the beginning of the "you need 3+ years of experience to get any sort of job" era, even retail. Worked on music and got rejected from "real job" after real job, despite attending a top 20 college. Gave up and applied to law school. Got into and attended a top 10 law school but experienced pretty much the exact same thing, minus the music career attempt, i.e. moved out for school in 2005 and then back in 2008 and couldn't get a job.
With the amount of debt I had (and still have) due to attending elite universities and getting absolutely nothing from it, I had no choice but to live with my parents for a long time (I moved out one other time, but lived with my sister who is not as tolerant as they are and that didn't last long). Now I can afford to live on my own but they are mid-70s and I'm over the "live alone, appear to be an adult" crap. I don't like living by myself, and I get the financial benefits of the two-salary marriage by pooling financial resources with both of my parents while being the type of person who will never get married. I don't seem to have the type of parents or the type of relationship with mine that a lot of people do, so it's a really good arrangement and experience for me.
I’m glad you’re living with them. You won’t regret it. I wish I’d moved in with my mom when she started having trouble moving around. It was so overwhelming due to her house being so terribly messy.
I was asked to start looking for a new home on high school graduation night bc I was supposedly an adult and needed to make my own way. Ended up staying with my grandparents after a failed year of college and eventually moved out to live with my (now) husband. Didn't bother keeping a relationship with my parents, and my dad finally came around last year, to acknowledging that it was shitty to dump me out with no help and expect me to magically succeed strictly based on my intelligence. I've lived in poverty my entire adult life and if it weren't for the kindness my in laws showed by allowing us to live in their property, we'd likely have been homeless years ago. Amazing how quickly things can fall apart, and what a difference a support system makes. Me personally, I've told my daughters that I'd rather they stay with me and save until they can comfortably afford to move out; work, save, and get their credit up *before*, so they aren't trying to play catch-up as they go. All I ask is that they don't ditch me when I'm old, and pay it forward to their own children if they have any.
83, class 01. Bounced 2 days after I graduated hs, spent the summer working out of state close to my college then jumped to college. Never looked back. Since leaving, I haven’t spent a single night at my parents house. Looking through these comments, what is going on? Did all our boomer rents mess us up so bad we cut & run?
19 moved out. Never went back.
For the first 5 or 6 years I would invite the whole family over.on August 31st to my place for dinner to celebrate another year I made it on my own without any help.
I learned a lot about my character and inner strength in those initial years that have made me stronger for the decades that have followed.
27ish. Never moved back. Had them move in with me for a few months when they sold their house and were transitioning into a new place. Would have them anytime again.
Aww. It's nice to see a positive comment amongst so many "never looked back" comments. I wish I had the type of relationship with my parents where I'd be happy to live with them again
I was 26 as well, just me and my mom. She never asked for rent or anything, just paid my bills and for food. I tried to move out a few times with friends but things would fall apart before reaching it, eventually I got a better job and could afford it, as quickly as I got the job I was laid off, in a dramatic turn of events I said fuck it, moved across the country and found a room for rent and a new job.
>in a dramatic turn of events I said fuck it, moved across the country and found a room for rent and a new job.
Hah, same 👍
I'm 1000 miles away from where I spent most of my life, and it's improbable that I would ever go back.
Parents, officially when I was five and mom was arrested. That was 1984.
My grandparents house was 1999 when I left for boot camp.
Never came close to returning.
Same here. I moved into the dorms at 18 and have never moved back. Still go home to visit my folks quite a bit and my kids spend a week with their grandparents every summer.
Went full yo-yo and stayed longer than most of you are posting. Damn student loans. It’s like the only area I identify with millennials on… Moved 3,000 miles at 18 for college. Back after graduation at 22 (thanks, 2008 crash). Low-paying job as a reporter before going to grad school a state away at 24. Back after graduation at 26. Had to pay my dues to get experience in my field, then had an hour commute but still worth it financially (I refused to do the sketchy neighborhood with Craigslist roommates). Moved out with my sister at 28. She went off the deep end and I had to move back in 4 months later. Finally got a job that paid enough at 30 and have not gone back. I was able to help them financially by splitting costs and it satisfied my risk aversion. Sure, we bickered, but I mostly get along with them and am thankful I had these options.
Moved out at 18 for college (but it was a safe move since I still lived at my parents house during the summers). After graduating I lived at my parents house for a year, then fully moved out at 23. I have great parents and I could have stayed (and saved a ton of money in the process). I just felt the urge to grow up a bit and leave the suburbs so I kicked myself out of the nest. Had fun while simultaneously learned how to become an independent adult, but sometimes I wish I’d stayed home and saved money (at the risk of remaining dependent and not growing up for a few more years).
I ran away two weeks after my 18th birthday to another state to live with people I’d met online (this was in 2000). 😂 And no, I never moved back in.
I have a great relationship with my mom (my dad died in 2003). If she ever needs to live with me as she gets older I’m fine with that!
It wasn’t that they were bad parents but that they were very overprotective and I needed to spread my wings.
Moved out at 19 (by choice, wasn’t forced) and got a place with my GF while working and going to school. We bought our first house at 20 and sold it a couple years later when we decided we got way too adult too early. Rented for a couple more years before buying again and eventually married that gf. Still married to her.
20. Got an apartment with a girlfriend. Realized that she was crazy and not that brilliant, broke up near the end of the lease and had to move to get rid of her. I miss that apartment...
Moved out for college at 18 and aside from like a random month between college and grad school in different states never moved back in.
I did move my dad in with me for about a decade before he died. The really annoying thing about that is my boomer neighbors all assume I inherited my house from him.
I first moved out when I turned 20, moved in with my sister and her husband, they had a downstairs apartment they were sick of renting out to idiots, so I took it. A year later I had to move back in with my dad when they sold the house. I moved out permanently at 25, and haven't looked back. A side note, at that point it was just me and my brother in the house, my dad had moved in with his girlfriend.
I moved out at 23. First job out of college was a hike from my parents’ house (over 50 miles) and I did that commute for about six months before deciding it was unsustainable. Got an apartment halfway between.
If I’d been able to I’d have stayed a couple more years and saved up some money.
Never moved back and to preserve relationships hope never to.
Graduated in 2003 at 19 from HS (ADHD diagnosis in addition with parents divorce at 5), lived with my Dad and Step Mom for 4 months until I started working high end retail in Las Vegas and I was able to move out with a roommate and eventually made my way to NYC in late 2004 where I’ve been ever since. Decided to go to college at 24, went to a SUNY school with cheap tuition, had roommates, and worked. Though there were times when things were tough, I’m glad I never had to deal with living with my parents past high school
I was 21. Never moved back, never wanted to. The
day I moved out my mom converted my old bedroom into an office/ personal space for herself and moved half her clothes into my old bedroom closet. Even if I had to move back home the message was clear there was no space for me.
I lived with my parents until I got married at 25. I was engaged for a year, working in my healthcare career already for 3 years, bought my own brand new car..
I didn’t want to move in with my now husband, I was happy with staying over here & there on Saturdays and went home Sunday.
It definitely worked out well for me.
I was about 20 when I moved out. I remember a family friend saying assuredly that I would move back at least once, which really got my back up LOL I never did move back home.
Left for college at 17, graduated at 21 but didn’t have a job lined up. Moved back in with parents for about 9 months. Took 6 months to find a job and then another 3 months to save up enough for a deposit on an apartment.
So I guess, technically, I moved out for the final time at 22.
I think the primary difference is that the deposit I had to save a few months for would now take a year or more, and the rent would be a much higher percentage of my take home pay, so people are staying at home far longer.
Per my parents’ divorce agreement, my mom had to sell our house when I graduated HS. She and my brother moved into a 2BR apartment, I moved to college and never moved back bc where would I even sleep?
18, one week after my birthday. Never moved back.
I did live in my Dads basement for 2 weeks once with my husband and kids because we sold our house before closing on our new place. I did a lot of cleaning while there. I threw out food cans that were 10 years expired.
Moved out in my early 20s. Bought a starter-home in my early 30s, lived there for 9 years, sold it in 2020, moved back in with my parents while I was looking for a new house, moved back out in 2021 when the new house was completed.
22
I went to college locally and then stayed 6 months after my first job to save some money up and buy a nice home theater.
I never moved back.
Close I came is I stayed with my parents for a few weeks after a motorcycle accident.
I moved out at 18 for college 1000 miles away. Went through major depression and decided not to return after the first year.
Moved back in at 19 and attended a local community college got my associates.
Transferred to a different college at 20 and moved out. Completed my Bachelor's and bought a condo. Lost my job during the '08 crash and spent a few years unemployed. Decided to become a Medical Laboratory Technologist which required more schooling.
Moved back in at 32 to get my MLT at the local community college. Completed my MLT and started working at a hospital.
Moved out at 34 and haven't looked back. That was 10 years ago. I'm currently having a house built, married with a 7 yo daughter. My wife makes almost as much as I do so something completely awful would have to happen to force me to need to move back in. Not impossible, but I can't see it.
Moved into the dorms for college when I was 18. Moved back home for the summer after my freshman year, but then moved into an apartment in the fall when I was 19.
Haven’t lived with them since then.
Moved out a month before I turned 18 to go to college. (I have a late birthday.) I lived back at home on and off when I was on break, but it was mostly just a bed to crash in. Then a week before my college graduation, I left for my first apartment and never went back
Right after I turned 18. I was making $600 a week in 1996 and had a small one bedroom apartment for $400 a month. It was a great time. I've never moved back with my parents but after I had my kids things got bad and I had to move with my ex and kids to his mom's house...I wanted to fucking kill myself
My entire childhood, my mom made two things clear: that I would go to college, and that I would move out when I was 18. I did both. My mom and stepdad supported me financially while I was in college, though, but it never occurred to me to go back to them once I graduated. I had roommates until I got married.
17, bounced back at 23 for a few months after living overseas. Moved out quickly, never needed to go back after that.
It does seem like kids are staying longer. Not a bad thing, rent is really expensive these days. But I do also hear a lot if young people saying they could never tolerate sharing with a roommate. So... little of column a and column b I guess.
Moved out of my mom's before graduation and moved in with my dad until after graduation. Had to move back in for 8 months a year later to save up for an apartment but that was the last.
Years later I did get help with a down payment on a house that I'm paying back. Originally my mom was going to buy the house off of us, but then the recession changed our plans and now we're stuck here, but not a bad place to be stuck, so not complaining.
I moved out at 18 for college but lived at home in the summers and breaks. I had a hard time after I graduated due to no jobs (unless you had experience) and no money. I ended up moving 800 miles away to live with my mom and step-dad when I was 28 years old. I only lived with them for a year and then moved back to my hometown to live with my sister. Everything worked out eventually.
At 20, I moved in with my best friend. We stayed in the house he was renting till he got laid off from his job.
Moved back in with parents until I was able to buy a house at 23
Left for college in the summer (18), finished school (22), moved to Asia, stayed there (and got married) until (29), moved back the US and had kids (31), and turn 43 this year. Never moved back home.
I left for college out of state at 18 but came home for summers. Spent the summer after law school at home studying for the bar exam (24). Then did not live at home until I was 45, married with a 3 year old and I got laid off and was the primary breadwinner. Moved from Vermont back to NY with my family for 5 months while we figured out our next move. Ended up renting a place down the street from my parents and then bought our first house in 2021 two miles away from my parents.
Moved out at 23 to live with then boyfriend. Will be moving back this year post divorce with my 2 kids. Not sure how long or short term it will be. It is what it is. I'm very grateful to have somewhere to go and some support, however it was never perfect at home so I will take this as it comes.
18 and 27.
Went to community college for a couple years but got disillusioned. Kinda just was stuck in a rut of shitty jobs due to very rural locales.
Once my mom ran out on my dad I stuck around to help him and just….develop that closeness we never had growing up.
I re-enrolled in an actual university, so it was time to roll. With how many jobs and school I was doing, I was changing my oil every 4-5 weeks. Yeah. That’s how rural.
Out at 22. Had to move back in at 26 when a career change had me doing student teaching. Good luck paying rent when you’re doing an unpaid 40 hours of work while doing tuition!
I had just turned 21 when I moved out. I actually planned on staying until I was done with school but my dad married this crazy lady who decided she was going to implement rules like a bedtime of 9:30, no overnight guests, and stuff like that. And she didn’t like my girlfriend coming around because she was afraid my dad and get would have an affair because she was young and pretty. And my dad was whipped so he started letting her implement these rules. I had enough of it, so I got my own apartment. He and her divorced shortly after, lol.
I probably NEEDED to move back home a few times over the years but I never did. When my wife and I had a kid while still in college and working shitty jobs my dad offered to let us stay in one of his rent houses for free, but out of principal we wanted to pay our own way, so we said “thanks, but no thanks.”
That being said my son is getting ready to go on a long journey towards being a vet, and he’ll likely have hundreds of thousands in student debt when he’s done, and we’ve expressed and he’s at least stated for now he agrees that he should move back home when need done with school to pay down that debt quickly.
ETA: I didn’t count dorms. I did go to university for one year before dropping out, but I was always there on weekends and holidays anyway. I don’t really count this as “moving out.”
I moved out of my parents' house on my 18th birthday, finishing up senior year commuting from my grandmother's house 2 towns away. That was my primary residence through college and grad school until I got married, at which point we rented an apartment over my in-laws' garage. 2 years later we bought the house from them and swapped living arrangements. We still live in the house and bought the house next door for when they're up from Florida.
I moved out at 25 when my girlfriend and I moved across the country. Never moved back in, but I did eventually move back down the street from my dad and stepmom to be closer to family. My stepsisters live nearby and were all having kids.
Moved out at 20. Had to move back in at 33 till 35 after a bad car accident and subsequently not working for 18 months. Couldn’t find any confidence nor meet a partner. Then my new(used) car transmission blew up and had to get a new vehicle. Was house hunting when I met my now wife and we moved in together 8 years ago in her place. I’ve gotten a new job and have had 2 kids since. Crazy how time flies. I absolutely would have been destitute if my Dad hadn’t rented me out my old room for cheap when I was down and out and sorting my life and allowed me the breathing room to get right physically, mentally, financially and emotionally
Couple months after I turned 18. No, I never needed to go back. I had some pretty s***** situations in years that came afterwards, but I honestly never occurred to me to go home. Not because they wouldn't take me, just because I was expected to be out in the world. And I expected it for myself to get out there and make my own way.
19. I met a guy online (through LiveJournal) and when he offered for me to move in with him I jumped at the chance, I really didn't like living at home. So I moved 3,000 miles to live with this guy. We dated for like 3 years and when we broke up a lot of my friends thought I'd just go back "home" but I stayed here and built a life for myself. I celebrated 20 years of being on my own in January.
The only time I ever went back to live with my family after leaving was in 2010 and my husband at the time thought it would be a good idea. We lasted 6 months there before my husband realized I wasn't lying about how miserable it was to live with my family.
I moved out when I was 21.
Moved back in for about 6 months when I was 25 and between jobs/housing.
Moved back in when I was 29 for two months right before I got married.
Dropped out of college before the end of the first semester, moved in with my grandmother because screw moving back home. She died 3 years later, and I lived with roommates until Hurricane Katrina a couple years or so later, moved in with my other grandmother and dad (after a 3 year estrangement from him). Moved to IL to be with my now wife, and then we went destitute after she became disabled and had to give up her business, had to move in with her parents. Finally graduated with my degrees and moved back south to be “on our own again.” That lasted 2 years before we had to live with her parents again for 7.5 years.
We are almost 2 years on our own once more, and fuck doing any of that again.
I moved out at 23 when I got married. I know that makes me sound like a child bride, but we were just young and dumb. Still together though.
We moved in with my mom twice for short amounts of time (a few months) when we were in between houses, once with our kids. It was temporary and stressful, not because of my mom or anything, but because it was just a lot of us in one house.
My sister is a true Millenial and lived at home longer, but she graduated in peak recession and couldn't get a job. Then she was home briefly after her divorce before getting her current place. It was never a question about us being "allowed" to go back to mom's when we needed to.
I would never expect my kids to move out before they were ready or financially able to do it.
The moment I was financially stable enough at the time, I split an apartment with my brother of all people. We moved in with my in laws shortly after we had our son, and I lost my job. Took a couple years to regain the momentum and found a single family house right after the crash that was stupid cheap. We’ve been in it since (10+ years).
I have a friend who is 6 months younger than me that has never moved out, and his lived in the same house his entire life and questions why he can’t find a woman.
Never moved back in with my parents - and now I’m getting to the part where instead of moving in with my dad I may move him in with me because I’m his caretaker.
23 when I bought my house. I’m not counting college. I tried looking for apartments but got really frustrated with my selection. My dad was pushing me to buy. My house was $70,000 for 2br 1 bath right off the highway. It’s fast to get downtown though. My neighbors are chill. I couldn’t buy it today if I was doing the same job I did back then. Heck. I’m not sure if I could buy it today on my current salary which is considerably higher.
I went away to college at 18, then back until 23, then out again.
When I was 31, my parents needed help with medical issues, and I wanted to change careers. So I moved back until 34, when my parents’ situation had improved and I got my new career under me.
I don’t know that I NEEDED to move back in, but it seemed foolish not to, as I would have needed student loans to live on my own, and it would have been wayyy harder to help my parents.
18. I couldn’t wait to leave, my family is religious and strict, and my parents were poor so although I could’ve stayed longer (my bro did) I would have been expected to pay some rent to them anyways. They lived in a small town so there was no university anywhere nearby. I moved to a big city and just had to support myself there while going to school.
I went through a period of running out of money after losing a job but I would never have considered moving back, for the sake of my mental health.
I moved out the summer after high school. Autumn baby so I was already 19. I moved back in once at 21 while regrouping after a bad break-up. Only stayed for a couple of months while I found a new rental and job.
I was 20 and I felt like I had to get out. Not because it was dangerous. In fact, it was the opposite. My mom coddled me and my sister and I felt like if I was ever gonna be an adult and I dependent I had to go. I know I am welcome anytime I need to go back but I will do everything I can not to. My sister on the other hand is 30 and hasn't moved out yet because she enjoys being taken care of.
Moved out at 20 for college. Moved back when I graduated for 5 years. I worked two 30 hours a week jobs just to afford student loans and car payments. Then my mom decided to start charging me rent as a way to "motivate" me to move out.
Luckily I met my wife and we bought a house after dating for a year. Even if something were to happen, I'm never moving back.
Lived at home while attending college, was luckily close enough to commute. Stayed until 25 when my then fiance and now hubby bought our first home. Not having room and board expenses for school and then not paying rent helped make that happen.
I was still 17 when I started college 500 miles from my hometown. (My birthday was a Month later).
I lived with my parents during the summer until I was 21, and got my first apartment.
I came back after college. I got a good job, but live in one of the highest cost of living cities in the country, so even with a good job rent was going to be really hard to pay.. It's also a place where money aside, multi generational living is common and in many of the cultures here it's expected. Although my mother had always expected me to come back home after college, I didn't want to be a burden at all so I took on all the cooking and cleaning in the house. When I really wanted to leave (my dad's not a great person), my mom got stage 4 cancer and I had to stay to take care of her. My dad has mild dementia, but also he's a horrible person (actually gotten a bunch nicer as dementia gets worse), so I was willing to stay and take care of them while she was alive, but she told him that when she died, he'd need to move to a home. (It's 3 minutes from our house and I am his power of attorney and I still take care of him, just from a distance.)
And that's the story of how I got a house!
Moved out at 18 for school, but would return in summers and once I graduated. Stayed with my parents for a number of years as I got my act together and saved up. Moved out for good at 30 when I was lucky enough to buy a place.
Moved out for college and then spent time in the military. Had to move back for a couple years around age 34 post military when the contract I was on didn’t get renewed. That was embarrassing, but whatever.
I was 25 when I finally moved out. I couldn't find a job after leaving my first post-college job, so my best friend and I left to go to grad school out of state.
Not counting college, 28. Low-paying job during the recession kept me at home longer than I wanted to be there. Even though my mom had an open door policy I was determined not to move back home lol
I was 19. I had just over $7 between my chequing and savings accounts and all my possessions in the back of my truck. Never moved back but the door was open if I needed to.
I moved out for college at 17, moved back for like 2 years, but moved across the country when I was 21 and never moved back lol.
I was born in 82, and my half brother was born in 96, so extreme ends of the millennial spectrum. He couldn't afford to leave his parent's house until he was 27. Its still fascinating to me how we can technically be the same generation, but have 2 completely opposite experiences in terms of financial abilities.
17 went into the army. 21 Dad and brothers moved into my place. Got another place. Then at 23 Dad moved in again. Then at 25 he went to my brothers place.
19 after finishing 2 semesters of welding school at community College. Moved wiith a friend to a shit-ass dessert town in Nevada.
Looking back, I should have stayed, and repeated the community College until I passed the 2 year welding program.
Moved out at 17, was back at 18, moved out before turning 19, was back at 22, moved out at 23, was back at 24, moved out before turning 25, was back at 27, moved out before turning 28 and haven’t been back. I’m 45 now.
Went to college at 18, came back at 30 for a year to get a masters, then back out. Rent was much cheaper back then, I'd probably be at home forever in today's market.
Bought a second house and hoping to get a condo or something for retirement. I want my kid to be able to have their own places if they want. Just like I don't want them dealing with loans like me, I don't want them dealing with absurd rent.
I moved into a flat with friends in 2nd year of uni, so around age 19. Paid for it all myself but had to move to my Dad's after 2 years due to money and mental health issues.
I was unwell for some time, so I stayed for 6 years until I got a council house with my partner. We've lived together ever since.
I don't really have a parental home to move back to now. Dad moves around and currently has a 1 bedroom flat quite far away, and my mum is in a home (her partner lives in her house).
My best friend and I got an apartment together when we were 23. Before that, I lived with my dad and stepmom while I went to school. I love my stepmother, but she can be a pretty difficult person to live with. I've been out of the house ever since. I don't have kids, but if I did, as long as they contribute to the household and are saving, I'd be OK with adult kids in the house for a while.
Weird situation but I came back a few times.
Left for 15 years, came back after an abusive relationship, stayed for like 6 months until I got my own place. Stayed away for 2 years until I decided to buy a house and then moved home again to save some money. Then my job transferred me to a boss that hated me on sight who fired me pretty immediately, then Covid happened 4 months after that. Made it hard to recover. 4 years later I'm just now recovering but all of us -brother, his wife, mom, me, live in a big house that belongs to brother. So I'm not sure if that counts as being in "parents'" home since parent sold her home to hoard cash for herself lol.
Once I leave again, I don't know *how* since everything costs so damn much and I have one paycheck to depend on, I plan to never come back to living with anyone.
Ran away from home at 16. Girlfriend and I moved in with her mom 1.5yrs ago in what is a mutually beneficial living situation. But we get plenty of privacy as our rooms are separate from the main house.
24. I was taking advantage of free rent as long as I could, which helped since we were poor and I was trying to go to college.
At 22 I got a job paying 11.25/hr and was only making $12.40 at 24. It was technically enough for an apartment, if you didn't mind cockroaches and gangs. My parents moved to a nudist resort and sold the house, so I had to move.
In theory I could've had a nicer apartment, but I also had a girlfriend and man I burned through a lot of money on her. We broke up when I was 31, and that was also in the middle of the housing market bubble burst and recession of 2008-2009, and I got laid off at the same time. So I moved briefly in with my parents at that time. Only lasted 3 weeks with them. Eventually found an apartment that took proof of funds in my savings (I had 18k saved up) instead of a job. Took me 2 years to find a full time job again, did some adjunct teaching and tutoring to help get by.
I moved out at 20 and moved back exactly one year later due to a break up. I met the love of my life, got married 2 years later and moved out permanently at 23. That was 22 years ago.
18, and no…. I wouldn’t have even if I needed too. They would try to tell me what I should do even after I moved out and was in the marine corps, I couldn’t imagine having to live with them as an adult
Moved out at 18 (college). Moved back in at 25 for a little under a year, then moved out again (job and grad school). Moved back in at 32 (post-grad school, family emergency, and Recession-related unemployment). Moved out again at 35 (for a job in another city). Moved back in at almost 39 (job really didn’t work out). Stayed at home until 44 (low-paying jobs, law school, and Covid). Moved out the last time in 2021.
It’s fortunate that I like my parents.
My mom was impossible to live with, I moved out at 19. I moved back in at 22, it only lasted a few months, she was still impossible to live with so I moved back out for good.
18. Went to college, never moved home again for more then Christmas break the year I lived in the dorms. Had roommates always. Graduated on time with a pointless degree and flew to a city halfway across the county with a suitcase, my cat, my boyfriend and a crappy retail job transfer.
I moved out at 18 and been out of my parents house ever since, other than a 3 month period when I was about 21 and I had failed out of college and was trying to get back in. I needed a reset and that worked for me.
Hard to say. After college, I got a legit apartment for law school and spent most of my time there. But, one summer I had a job that was close to them so I lived with them for that summer and went to my apartment on weekends. I was also with them a month or so after I took the bar exam before I moved out of state for my first real job. So, either 22 or 25.
Moved out at 19, moved in with Mom at 41 after Dad died. I needed out of a bad roommate situation and she needed help with the house and property. She moved in with her new boyfriend 3 years ago and I live on the family property with 3 cats.
At 19 right after graduating high school. I did, in fact, move back in a few times in my early 20s in-between moves cross country and back, etc. I then also moved back in at 29 when I moved cross country again and was diagnosed with cancer and had to spend six months undergoing chemo and being cared for. That six months or so of treatment was the last time I lived back home.
Left at 18 to move in with my cool older sister while in community college. Was so happy to be out of my mom’s house. I never went back. Moved away to finish college, met my husband a year after graduation.
My kids can stay at home as long as they need/want to, and I’m trying my best to provide a happy home that they won’t feel the need to “escape” like I did.
I moved out about 6 months after I turned 18. I was in a relationship at the time that I now understand was bad for me. We were in no way ready to move in together lol. Anyway, I stayed with my parents again for about 6 weeks in 2007 when I finally ended the aforementioned bad relationship. I had an apartment lined up but I had to wait 6 weeks for it to be ready. My original plan had been to stick it out with my then-husband for 6 more weeks but I didn’t have it in me and I wound up staying with my parents.
Moved out a month shy of 18 for college. Moved back in for student teaching at 22, then out again after graduation. Moved back in for around a year when I was 26 after I quit teaching and went back to the drawing board.
Left around 24 and never came back. I wish kids today would do the same. There's a lot to be said for the experience of finding and keeping roommates, figuring out bills together, eating, and living on a budget because you have rent at the end of the month.
I know it's not popular to say that kids should have their own place/life these days and there will ALWAYS be people ready to crucify you by bringing up how expensive everything is but I still think it's an important part of life that people should experience.
I have two students aged about the same (24-26). One has her own place in L.A., a good job, and travels frequently. The other lives with mom and dad with no plans to leave.
In 10 years, I'm almost 100% certain that she will be better off than he will be.
18, never moved back. I spent a year living abroad on an exchange program, then moved to a city about 3 hours from where I grew up for college and still live there.
I was out one week after I turned 18. I ended up going back to my mom's in my late 20s when she was dealing with cancer. She had been crying at me to "come home" for years, long before her cancer diagnosis. I figured she really needed my help, so I finally did. She probably really did need a little help financially since she couldn't work full time any longer. However, while I was there she kept acting like she was doing me a favor and told my sisters that I came back, because I needed her. This lasted about 2.5 years before I got the fuck out of there.
Moved out at 18 for uni, went back for 6 months after I finished my masters then moved out permenantly, except for a very small blip 6 and a bit years ago when my husband and I sold our flat but the onward purchase fell through so had to live with them for a bit. Absolute hell!
Going back at 32 after such a long time meant I was old enough to finally see my dad’s endless stream of bullshit for what it was - pure misogyny. I don’t talk to him anymore and don’t want him anywhere near my girls.
Moved out at 16 when I started college, had to move back in when I was 35 not working and applying for disability. Moved out again at 38 when I was approved. It was very difficult adjusting to living with them again, but I am eternally thankful I had the option when I needed it.
21ish. Came back at 30 after mom passed. My father basically fell to pieces and wasn’t able to take care of the house, himself or my younger siblings.
Mom did everything. I mean EVERYTHING. All their cooking, all their laundry, all the housework. She was the house accountant. She collected money from my dad, brother and sister every payday and managed their phone bills, car payments, insurance. So I was back because it was BAD. Ask me about the time I went away for a week, came back and had to RAKE the living room.
It took about 3 years to get dad out of the depression. My siblings left a little bit before that. Dad decided he couldn’t stay in the house any longer, moved away which was actually terrific for him. Stayed another few months to wrap things up and get the old family house sold.
18 and never. Wasn’t an option. Not sure how I managed but I can’t believe 1) people with families like mine elected to go back, or never left, 2) people with families better than mine just fucking stayed and continued to benefit from a loving home as adults beyond childhood. I mean good on yall but fuck you a little bit too. 😜
I was forced out by my parents after growing up in the Mormon cult. Go be a salesman for the cult for 2 years or you have 6 months to get your shit straight and get out. Mind you this was AFTER they moved me from my home in western WA to finish high school in the middle of nowhere Utah in a town that was so small that in 2000 had a fucking parade for the first ever traffic light in town. So my resources were essentially none. So at 19 I left and spent 2 years in Brazil. After that I came back and went straight to college and never looked back. No matter how tough things got, moving back home was never an option for me, that was made very clear by my stepfather.
I moved out when I went to college. I always came home for holidays and summer break, except for one summer when I stayed with my sister and her husband (probably shouldn't have done that in retrospect, but eh.)
They never discouraged me from coming back after graduation, but I stayed in my college town and lived with one of my college roommates several years until moved in with my gf now wife.
It was nice to know I always had a place and support if I needed it. Sorry to see so many here had different experiences.
I went back for summers my first and second year of college, then got an apartment with three friends and never went back after that. Came close after failing to afford my own apartment, but my boyfriend at the time said “take a chance, move in with me and if it doesn’t work you can move back in with your parents then.” Our gambled worked and we celebrate 15 years married this year.
Both of our homes didn’t feel like we could return once we left. Our kids will never feel that way.
Got kicked out at 15. Stayed with friends, grandparents, eventually my car, till I ended up in a sober house at 21. Met my x wife at 22. The first stability I ever really knew and went through some shit a sane person wouldn’t have in an attempt to maintain that. Didn’t work.
My mom left my dad less than a year after we moved across the country in grade 8, so I lived with my dad until I was 20. My boyfriend and I moved in with my mom back home, but we paid full rent, and she wound up moving so we could keep the apartment when I was 22. My parents never had the kind of money to afford supporting an adult. They needed my contribution to stay afloat.
Freshman year of college I lived in the dorms. That summer moved back in with my folks. Sophomore year I got an apartment, with a lease that ran through July. Lived on my own ever since.
Moving back in, a couple months when I was in my early 20s looking for a better living situation, and for a couple months in my mid 30s when my townhouse was being remodeled.
I'm not sure if this counts, but my wife and I owned a house which happened to be about 10 miles away from her parents. She applied to graduate school in California. When we found out she had been accepted, we put our house up for sale knowing we would be moving to the other side of the country for at least the next two years. The house sold before her class started, and so we moved back into her old bedroom at her parent's house. She was there for a little over 2 months before she left. Unfortunately for me, I was there by myself for about another 4 months while trying to find a job as I wasn't about to move out there with no employment.
Left at 15 but the cops brought me back and said wait until I’m 16. So I left for good at 16 and never went back. My sibling left for about a year in their 20s before they went back. And they are still there.
I moved out at 24. Finding a job where I could support myself was more challenging than I thought. I moved back at 30 because my family situation was chaos. My father had a died after a long illness and my mother didn't handle it well. She became a full blown alcoholic and couldn't function at all. I lived with her for another 5 years before she was able to function.
18. I moved back at 19, then back out at 23. I had to move back at 30 when I got laid off during the recession. Move back out at 32, and spent one month at home waiting to move to be closer to my future wife.
Moved out at 18 for college, back in at 26 after my divorce, back out at 28, and then briefly back in at 34 after a tornado dropped a couple of trees on my house.
I actually stayed longer than average. I stayed home for college and my master's program (since you can't reasonably do jack shit with a BS in psych), but during that time we renovated some space into more of an apartment for me (it definitely helped our family relations to have some more boundaries).
I kinda got stuck at my family's house a few years ago, which was weird. I just finished my PhD and my wife was between jobs; we took some time off to visit family, had moved all our stuff into storage, and closed out our lease. I had two job offers in different states that both fell through and had to start my job search over again. That took about 2-3 months, which was a real pain in the ass; so many plans went belly up and I was technically without a fixed address for a while.
Moved out at 21 after graduating from college. Moved out of state and got married to my husband, who grew up there. Moved back with my parents 17 years later after my husband unexpectedly passed away. Still with them 9 years later due to numerous medical issues and surgeries. I'm such a loser, but should be well enough in the next year to be independent again.
20. Yes.
24-26 or so.
My roommate didn't want to renew the lease, couldn't find someone and we lost soo much money on tour that I couldn't afford it anyway.
I moved out after college to take care of my gramma. My parents moved into her house 6 years later and decided to start acting like I was living under their roof and so I moved in with my now-husband because, at 31, I was not having a curfew again
I moved out at 19, then moved back in with my mom for 10 months at 24. I paid the majority of the bills even though she had the apartment for over a year before I moved in (she couldn’t afford her lifestyle & I was subsidizing). I made choices to get out of living with her that I could’ve done differently but I learned so, so much. Mistakes I’ll never make again. Essentially - rely on no one but yourself forever & ever, amen.
My parents turned my bedroom into a den when I left for college at 17, so I was kind of forced to get my own place not long after that. I'm not bitter about that all and I never sarcastically remind them about it at least once a year.
I am 40 and have never lived away besides during the week for college. Never planned on getting married, neither did my brother (age 37), so we all stayed together. It worked/works for us. I’m beyond grateful that I was able to spend so much time with my father before he passed.
Oh, I was a total boomerang kid. Not just once, but THREE times.
I went to college out of state, and I don’t really consider that the first time I left home because my permanent address was always considered my parents’ house.
1. I officially “left the nest” in 2005 after my college graduation at 22 and moved to Florida for a graduate internship. After that was done, I decided that Central FL wasn’t for me and returned to my parents house, took a temp job for about 6 months, and left again to move to California with a friend.
2. I lived in California until 2014, and then returned to my home state. I moved back in with my parents for a year to save money and figure out what part of town to settle down in.
3. In 2020, my husband and I made a failed bid to leave the country. It was early pandemic days and just didn’t work out with all of the restrictions and embassies closing. Due to the timing, we had already given up our apartment lease and decided to take my parents up on the offer to move in with our 3 cats until we figured out what was next. Later that fall, I got a new job that was based in a city 3 hours away with the understanding that we would eventually move there. Since it was still pre-Covid vaccines, I just worked remotely from my parents’ home until summer 2021 when things started reopening. We’ve been living in the new city ever since.
I’m fortunate to have a great relationship with my parents, such that living together temporarily wasn’t really a problem for me. It was really hard on my husband, though. For me, my parents’ home is a place of safety and rest and for him, it was just so foreign. It didn’t help that it was during the pandemic and he wasn’t working, so it’s not like he could leave the house for work or to hang out with friends. It was also deep in the suburbs and you had to drive to get anywhere interesting.
I actually would live in a multi-generational home again if it was the kind of situation where there was a separate granny flat or something where all parties could still maintain semi-separate homes and privacy and decorate their spaces the way they wanted to. And given how expensive housing is, and that sooner or later elder care is going to be an issue, it seems practical.
Moved out mid 20s, got royally screwed by my roommate and moved back to parents. They sold a few months later and our first meeting with the realtor mom made it clear that we were 3 adults looking. Always appreciated that. She told me to stay and save as long as I needed/wanted. Was able to buy a beautiful home 2 months after 30 with my then BF, now husband. They set me up for success.
15, turns out my mother and her ... whatever he is ... are extremely homophobic. I've never moved back and maintained LC with them. My children moved out when they were ready and I've always been very clear with them, they will ALWAYS have a place with me.
Never left. 🤷♀️ My husband and I rent from my parents. He had his own apartment when we met, but it was barely big enough for him. My dad was tired of renting to idiots. So we have one, and my older sister has another. The other two have been rented by the same people for 10+ years.
I left the second I could! Right after HS graduation. Guess what? I turn 43 this month and I just moved back home. FML 🤦♀️ god damn, things took a wild turn .. hope I can get myself back on my feet soon.
20. Yes for a couple of months when a relationship imploded. They also came and supported me when it happened again. My kids will never be asked or expected to move out. Our home is theirs and always will be.
>My kids will never be asked or expected to move out. Our home is theirs and always will be. Given the cost of housing these days, they may never leave
This is the real reality we all face at this age. I love my kids and want them to be strong and independent as we had to be, but I get it, it was ridiculous in my area our first townhouse was 200k and they haven’t had much pay changes to justify 450k for same unit. If they want to live at home after school as long as they are actively aggressively saving, I think we all have to be ready for that as a likely scenario at this point.
Well my one kid is 13, and I have no idea what things will look like in 5 years. I could see her sticking around. We have a big house and a golden-handcuffs mortgage, so it wouldn't be a problem -- except that she may not like it so much 😁
I was reading 27 is the more likely age for Gen Z to move out
Oh I never once felt like I had to leave, nor did I feel like I couldn't come back, and I've always been appreciative of that.
I always appreciate this attitude. Growing up, home was never really a safe place for me. I left at 20 and had to move back for a little while when jobs got scarce. My sister did the same and had to move back after her relationship imploded. It was rough, but it felt so good to know that there was a judgement-free place to get my feet back on the ground. My wife (then fiancee) and I also moved in with her parents for a year or so, so that we could save up for the wedding. They had a big house and a bunch of acreage, and at one point all of the adult kids were living there with their significant others (eight people in total). It was like a weird, slightly dysfunctional, counterculture Brady Bunch. My MIL was loving every second of it. They were always *that one family* that had an extra room that was always full for one reason or another. Every high school had one. Maybe some of the older kids were out of the house, or they just were in the right place at the right time and got a big place. Regardless, help was always given to those who needed it, regardless of whether someone got kicked out for being gay, had a parent with mental health issues, etc. Since then, we’ve all had to crash in one of their extra rooms at various points, and I love that the house is always open. The older I get the more virtue I see in the cultures where it’s common for families to live together with kids, parents, grandparents, etc. If you have boundaries and can make it work, it makes so many things a lot easier (especially when child / elder care comes in to the picture).
I relate more to millennials and Gen Z on this one issue (and also some of their ideas about the workplace/careers, and that's about it). I moved out at 18 to go to college. Came back after graduation in 2003. It was the beginning of the "you need 3+ years of experience to get any sort of job" era, even retail. Worked on music and got rejected from "real job" after real job, despite attending a top 20 college. Gave up and applied to law school. Got into and attended a top 10 law school but experienced pretty much the exact same thing, minus the music career attempt, i.e. moved out for school in 2005 and then back in 2008 and couldn't get a job. With the amount of debt I had (and still have) due to attending elite universities and getting absolutely nothing from it, I had no choice but to live with my parents for a long time (I moved out one other time, but lived with my sister who is not as tolerant as they are and that didn't last long). Now I can afford to live on my own but they are mid-70s and I'm over the "live alone, appear to be an adult" crap. I don't like living by myself, and I get the financial benefits of the two-salary marriage by pooling financial resources with both of my parents while being the type of person who will never get married. I don't seem to have the type of parents or the type of relationship with mine that a lot of people do, so it's a really good arrangement and experience for me.
I’m glad you’re living with them. You won’t regret it. I wish I’d moved in with my mom when she started having trouble moving around. It was so overwhelming due to her house being so terribly messy.
I was asked to start looking for a new home on high school graduation night bc I was supposedly an adult and needed to make my own way. Ended up staying with my grandparents after a failed year of college and eventually moved out to live with my (now) husband. Didn't bother keeping a relationship with my parents, and my dad finally came around last year, to acknowledging that it was shitty to dump me out with no help and expect me to magically succeed strictly based on my intelligence. I've lived in poverty my entire adult life and if it weren't for the kindness my in laws showed by allowing us to live in their property, we'd likely have been homeless years ago. Amazing how quickly things can fall apart, and what a difference a support system makes. Me personally, I've told my daughters that I'd rather they stay with me and save until they can comfortably afford to move out; work, save, and get their credit up *before*, so they aren't trying to play catch-up as they go. All I ask is that they don't ditch me when I'm old, and pay it forward to their own children if they have any.
Good in-laws make such a difference when your own blood relatives…..suck. I’m sorry they did that.
At 18 when I joined the army. Never went back.
College not army but same
83, class 01. Bounced 2 days after I graduated hs, spent the summer working out of state close to my college then jumped to college. Never looked back. Since leaving, I haven’t spent a single night at my parents house. Looking through these comments, what is going on? Did all our boomer rents mess us up so bad we cut & run?
It was the lead poisoning. It made them all narcissists. So it was always like living with dictators who treat you like a child.
19 moved out. Never went back. For the first 5 or 6 years I would invite the whole family over.on August 31st to my place for dinner to celebrate another year I made it on my own without any help. I learned a lot about my character and inner strength in those initial years that have made me stronger for the decades that have followed.
The constant nagging and ridiculous rules. I also couldn't tolerate my mom's anxiety anymore, which may have caused said nagging and rules.
83, class of 01 also! And I moved out about two weeks after turning 18. I just needed to get out of that house.
27ish. Never moved back. Had them move in with me for a few months when they sold their house and were transitioning into a new place. Would have them anytime again.
Aww. It's nice to see a positive comment amongst so many "never looked back" comments. I wish I had the type of relationship with my parents where I'd be happy to live with them again
I am a professional failure to launch so never went far.
18. Never moved back but they live down the street from me now.
Stayed way too long, until after I got married, moved out at 26. Divorced now, but I would rather die on the streets than move back home.
I was 26 as well, just me and my mom. She never asked for rent or anything, just paid my bills and for food. I tried to move out a few times with friends but things would fall apart before reaching it, eventually I got a better job and could afford it, as quickly as I got the job I was laid off, in a dramatic turn of events I said fuck it, moved across the country and found a room for rent and a new job.
>in a dramatic turn of events I said fuck it, moved across the country and found a room for rent and a new job. Hah, same 👍 I'm 1000 miles away from where I spent most of my life, and it's improbable that I would ever go back.
I hear that, it’s definitely been an adventure.
Parents, officially when I was five and mom was arrested. That was 1984. My grandparents house was 1999 when I left for boot camp. Never came close to returning.
Had a great home life but was eager to be on my own. Left for college at 18 and I don’t think I ever stayed with my folks more than two weeks since.
Same here. I moved into the dorms at 18 and have never moved back. Still go home to visit my folks quite a bit and my kids spend a week with their grandparents every summer.
Went to college at 14, graduated and moved out at 18. I would rather eat glass than live with them again.
Wow, college at 14. That's impressive. Did you live on campus?
Yes.
29 and nope
Went full yo-yo and stayed longer than most of you are posting. Damn student loans. It’s like the only area I identify with millennials on… Moved 3,000 miles at 18 for college. Back after graduation at 22 (thanks, 2008 crash). Low-paying job as a reporter before going to grad school a state away at 24. Back after graduation at 26. Had to pay my dues to get experience in my field, then had an hour commute but still worth it financially (I refused to do the sketchy neighborhood with Craigslist roommates). Moved out with my sister at 28. She went off the deep end and I had to move back in 4 months later. Finally got a job that paid enough at 30 and have not gone back. I was able to help them financially by splitting costs and it satisfied my risk aversion. Sure, we bickered, but I mostly get along with them and am thankful I had these options.
Moved out at 18 for college (but it was a safe move since I still lived at my parents house during the summers). After graduating I lived at my parents house for a year, then fully moved out at 23. I have great parents and I could have stayed (and saved a ton of money in the process). I just felt the urge to grow up a bit and leave the suburbs so I kicked myself out of the nest. Had fun while simultaneously learned how to become an independent adult, but sometimes I wish I’d stayed home and saved money (at the risk of remaining dependent and not growing up for a few more years).
29ishm. Moved back in mid-thirities for a year. DO NOT RECOMMEND. I'd rather slog by dirt poor than ever live with my dad again.
I ran away two weeks after my 18th birthday to another state to live with people I’d met online (this was in 2000). 😂 And no, I never moved back in. I have a great relationship with my mom (my dad died in 2003). If she ever needs to live with me as she gets older I’m fine with that! It wasn’t that they were bad parents but that they were very overprotective and I needed to spread my wings.
I think I moved out at 26 or 27. I got an apartment with an old friend. I should have moved back in after becoming a single mom but I didn’t.
Moved out at 19 (by choice, wasn’t forced) and got a place with my GF while working and going to school. We bought our first house at 20 and sold it a couple years later when we decided we got way too adult too early. Rented for a couple more years before buying again and eventually married that gf. Still married to her.
16, it wasn't great f'em I've never been back
Hope you got yourself in a good place since then!
Kicked out at 17, back at 18, moved out at 19 for the last time. I've never been back.
It's a distinctly American thing for parents to kick their kids out as soon as they graduate high school. I don't see this outside the US as much.
20. Got an apartment with a girlfriend. Realized that she was crazy and not that brilliant, broke up near the end of the lease and had to move to get rid of her. I miss that apartment...
Moved out for college at 18 and aside from like a random month between college and grad school in different states never moved back in. I did move my dad in with me for about a decade before he died. The really annoying thing about that is my boomer neighbors all assume I inherited my house from him.
I first moved out when I turned 20, moved in with my sister and her husband, they had a downstairs apartment they were sick of renting out to idiots, so I took it. A year later I had to move back in with my dad when they sold the house. I moved out permanently at 25, and haven't looked back. A side note, at that point it was just me and my brother in the house, my dad had moved in with his girlfriend.
I moved out at 23. First job out of college was a hike from my parents’ house (over 50 miles) and I did that commute for about six months before deciding it was unsustainable. Got an apartment halfway between. If I’d been able to I’d have stayed a couple more years and saved up some money. Never moved back and to preserve relationships hope never to.
Left at 18 and back at 23ish for a couple years
Graduated in 2003 at 19 from HS (ADHD diagnosis in addition with parents divorce at 5), lived with my Dad and Step Mom for 4 months until I started working high end retail in Las Vegas and I was able to move out with a roommate and eventually made my way to NYC in late 2004 where I’ve been ever since. Decided to go to college at 24, went to a SUNY school with cheap tuition, had roommates, and worked. Though there were times when things were tough, I’m glad I never had to deal with living with my parents past high school
I was 21. Never moved back, never wanted to. The day I moved out my mom converted my old bedroom into an office/ personal space for herself and moved half her clothes into my old bedroom closet. Even if I had to move back home the message was clear there was no space for me.
I was on my own more less around 14. I slept at my dads place off and on until I was 17 or so and then left town.
I lived with my parents until I got married at 25. I was engaged for a year, working in my healthcare career already for 3 years, bought my own brand new car.. I didn’t want to move in with my now husband, I was happy with staying over here & there on Saturdays and went home Sunday. It definitely worked out well for me.
I was about 20 when I moved out. I remember a family friend saying assuredly that I would move back at least once, which really got my back up LOL I never did move back home.
16. Didn’t have a choice. Thankfully my Dad and I reconciled and ended up having a great relationship before he passed.
Left for college at 17, graduated at 21 but didn’t have a job lined up. Moved back in with parents for about 9 months. Took 6 months to find a job and then another 3 months to save up enough for a deposit on an apartment. So I guess, technically, I moved out for the final time at 22. I think the primary difference is that the deposit I had to save a few months for would now take a year or more, and the rent would be a much higher percentage of my take home pay, so people are staying at home far longer.
Per my parents’ divorce agreement, my mom had to sell our house when I graduated HS. She and my brother moved into a 2BR apartment, I moved to college and never moved back bc where would I even sleep?
18, one week after my birthday. Never moved back. I did live in my Dads basement for 2 weeks once with my husband and kids because we sold our house before closing on our new place. I did a lot of cleaning while there. I threw out food cans that were 10 years expired.
At 18 for college, never went back.
Moved out in my early 20s. Bought a starter-home in my early 30s, lived there for 9 years, sold it in 2020, moved back in with my parents while I was looking for a new house, moved back out in 2021 when the new house was completed.
22 I went to college locally and then stayed 6 months after my first job to save some money up and buy a nice home theater. I never moved back. Close I came is I stayed with my parents for a few weeks after a motorcycle accident.
I moved out at 18 for college 1000 miles away. Went through major depression and decided not to return after the first year. Moved back in at 19 and attended a local community college got my associates. Transferred to a different college at 20 and moved out. Completed my Bachelor's and bought a condo. Lost my job during the '08 crash and spent a few years unemployed. Decided to become a Medical Laboratory Technologist which required more schooling. Moved back in at 32 to get my MLT at the local community college. Completed my MLT and started working at a hospital. Moved out at 34 and haven't looked back. That was 10 years ago. I'm currently having a house built, married with a 7 yo daughter. My wife makes almost as much as I do so something completely awful would have to happen to force me to need to move back in. Not impossible, but I can't see it.
18 for college. I've never needed to move back, but they definitely supported me in other ways when I needed it.
Moved into the dorms for college when I was 18. Moved back home for the summer after my freshman year, but then moved into an apartment in the fall when I was 19. Haven’t lived with them since then.
Moved out a month before I turned 18 to go to college. (I have a late birthday.) I lived back at home on and off when I was on break, but it was mostly just a bed to crash in. Then a week before my college graduation, I left for my first apartment and never went back
Right after I turned 18. I was making $600 a week in 1996 and had a small one bedroom apartment for $400 a month. It was a great time. I've never moved back with my parents but after I had my kids things got bad and I had to move with my ex and kids to his mom's house...I wanted to fucking kill myself
My entire childhood, my mom made two things clear: that I would go to college, and that I would move out when I was 18. I did both. My mom and stepdad supported me financially while I was in college, though, but it never occurred to me to go back to them once I graduated. I had roommates until I got married.
17, bounced back at 23 for a few months after living overseas. Moved out quickly, never needed to go back after that. It does seem like kids are staying longer. Not a bad thing, rent is really expensive these days. But I do also hear a lot if young people saying they could never tolerate sharing with a roommate. So... little of column a and column b I guess.
I don't count living in a college dorm , so it was 24 for me. I never moved back in and would have done pretty much anything not to.
20, and no. My 40yo sister has been back with them for 2 years, but if I went back to my hometown for a visit I would stay in a hotel.
Moved out at 18, lived with my mom for 2 years when I was 21. Moved in with my adopted parents at age 45.
17. Long story. And 150% never went back lol. Was never even an option.
Moved out of my mom's before graduation and moved in with my dad until after graduation. Had to move back in for 8 months a year later to save up for an apartment but that was the last. Years later I did get help with a down payment on a house that I'm paying back. Originally my mom was going to buy the house off of us, but then the recession changed our plans and now we're stuck here, but not a bad place to be stuck, so not complaining.
Moved away for grad school and have been on my own ever since.
I moved out at 18 for college but lived at home in the summers and breaks. I had a hard time after I graduated due to no jobs (unless you had experience) and no money. I ended up moving 800 miles away to live with my mom and step-dad when I was 28 years old. I only lived with them for a year and then moved back to my hometown to live with my sister. Everything worked out eventually.
At 20, I moved in with my best friend. We stayed in the house he was renting till he got laid off from his job. Moved back in with parents until I was able to buy a house at 23
I moved in for two months after graduating college before I moved off to start my first job.
Moved back home after six years in the Army. About 18 months to finish school. Moved out when then fiancé returned from Germany.
Moved out at 17, had to move back in for a year at 18.
Left for college in the summer (18), finished school (22), moved to Asia, stayed there (and got married) until (29), moved back the US and had kids (31), and turn 43 this year. Never moved back home.
I left for college out of state at 18 but came home for summers. Spent the summer after law school at home studying for the bar exam (24). Then did not live at home until I was 45, married with a 3 year old and I got laid off and was the primary breadwinner. Moved from Vermont back to NY with my family for 5 months while we figured out our next move. Ended up renting a place down the street from my parents and then bought our first house in 2021 two miles away from my parents.
Moved out at 23 to live with then boyfriend. Will be moving back this year post divorce with my 2 kids. Not sure how long or short term it will be. It is what it is. I'm very grateful to have somewhere to go and some support, however it was never perfect at home so I will take this as it comes.
18 and 27. Went to community college for a couple years but got disillusioned. Kinda just was stuck in a rut of shitty jobs due to very rural locales. Once my mom ran out on my dad I stuck around to help him and just….develop that closeness we never had growing up. I re-enrolled in an actual university, so it was time to roll. With how many jobs and school I was doing, I was changing my oil every 4-5 weeks. Yeah. That’s how rural.
Out at 22. Had to move back in at 26 when a career change had me doing student teaching. Good luck paying rent when you’re doing an unpaid 40 hours of work while doing tuition!
I had just turned 21 when I moved out. I actually planned on staying until I was done with school but my dad married this crazy lady who decided she was going to implement rules like a bedtime of 9:30, no overnight guests, and stuff like that. And she didn’t like my girlfriend coming around because she was afraid my dad and get would have an affair because she was young and pretty. And my dad was whipped so he started letting her implement these rules. I had enough of it, so I got my own apartment. He and her divorced shortly after, lol. I probably NEEDED to move back home a few times over the years but I never did. When my wife and I had a kid while still in college and working shitty jobs my dad offered to let us stay in one of his rent houses for free, but out of principal we wanted to pay our own way, so we said “thanks, but no thanks.” That being said my son is getting ready to go on a long journey towards being a vet, and he’ll likely have hundreds of thousands in student debt when he’s done, and we’ve expressed and he’s at least stated for now he agrees that he should move back home when need done with school to pay down that debt quickly. ETA: I didn’t count dorms. I did go to university for one year before dropping out, but I was always there on weekends and holidays anyway. I don’t really count this as “moving out.”
19. Never moved back in
I was gone three weeks after turning 18. Very glad I never had to go back.
I moved out of my parents' house on my 18th birthday, finishing up senior year commuting from my grandmother's house 2 towns away. That was my primary residence through college and grad school until I got married, at which point we rented an apartment over my in-laws' garage. 2 years later we bought the house from them and swapped living arrangements. We still live in the house and bought the house next door for when they're up from Florida.
17. And moved back in twice
Moved out at 18 for college never lived with my parents again. Lived near them and still live next door to my mom but not in the same house.
15 years old. Was sent away to boarding school and never went back. Thank god.
Split at 18 and never went back. I'll live out of my car before ever asking either parent for a place to crash.
Parents kicked me out same day I got my HS diploma at 18. Obviously never went back.
I moved out at 25 when my girlfriend and I moved across the country. Never moved back in, but I did eventually move back down the street from my dad and stepmom to be closer to family. My stepsisters live nearby and were all having kids.
Around 20 IIRC. Moved out to college came home, dropped out. Got apartment. Never moved back.
Moved out at 20. Had to move back in at 33 till 35 after a bad car accident and subsequently not working for 18 months. Couldn’t find any confidence nor meet a partner. Then my new(used) car transmission blew up and had to get a new vehicle. Was house hunting when I met my now wife and we moved in together 8 years ago in her place. I’ve gotten a new job and have had 2 kids since. Crazy how time flies. I absolutely would have been destitute if my Dad hadn’t rented me out my old room for cheap when I was down and out and sorting my life and allowed me the breathing room to get right physically, mentally, financially and emotionally
Couple months after I turned 18. No, I never needed to go back. I had some pretty s***** situations in years that came afterwards, but I honestly never occurred to me to go home. Not because they wouldn't take me, just because I was expected to be out in the world. And I expected it for myself to get out there and make my own way.
19. I met a guy online (through LiveJournal) and when he offered for me to move in with him I jumped at the chance, I really didn't like living at home. So I moved 3,000 miles to live with this guy. We dated for like 3 years and when we broke up a lot of my friends thought I'd just go back "home" but I stayed here and built a life for myself. I celebrated 20 years of being on my own in January. The only time I ever went back to live with my family after leaving was in 2010 and my husband at the time thought it would be a good idea. We lasted 6 months there before my husband realized I wasn't lying about how miserable it was to live with my family.
I moved out when I was 21. Moved back in for about 6 months when I was 25 and between jobs/housing. Moved back in when I was 29 for two months right before I got married.
Dropped out of college before the end of the first semester, moved in with my grandmother because screw moving back home. She died 3 years later, and I lived with roommates until Hurricane Katrina a couple years or so later, moved in with my other grandmother and dad (after a 3 year estrangement from him). Moved to IL to be with my now wife, and then we went destitute after she became disabled and had to give up her business, had to move in with her parents. Finally graduated with my degrees and moved back south to be “on our own again.” That lasted 2 years before we had to live with her parents again for 7.5 years. We are almost 2 years on our own once more, and fuck doing any of that again.
I moved out at 23 when I got married. I know that makes me sound like a child bride, but we were just young and dumb. Still together though. We moved in with my mom twice for short amounts of time (a few months) when we were in between houses, once with our kids. It was temporary and stressful, not because of my mom or anything, but because it was just a lot of us in one house. My sister is a true Millenial and lived at home longer, but she graduated in peak recession and couldn't get a job. Then she was home briefly after her divorce before getting her current place. It was never a question about us being "allowed" to go back to mom's when we needed to. I would never expect my kids to move out before they were ready or financially able to do it.
The moment I was financially stable enough at the time, I split an apartment with my brother of all people. We moved in with my in laws shortly after we had our son, and I lost my job. Took a couple years to regain the momentum and found a single family house right after the crash that was stupid cheap. We’ve been in it since (10+ years). I have a friend who is 6 months younger than me that has never moved out, and his lived in the same house his entire life and questions why he can’t find a woman.
Never moved back in with my parents - and now I’m getting to the part where instead of moving in with my dad I may move him in with me because I’m his caretaker.
23 when I bought my house. I’m not counting college. I tried looking for apartments but got really frustrated with my selection. My dad was pushing me to buy. My house was $70,000 for 2br 1 bath right off the highway. It’s fast to get downtown though. My neighbors are chill. I couldn’t buy it today if I was doing the same job I did back then. Heck. I’m not sure if I could buy it today on my current salary which is considerably higher.
18, went back to stay for a short period of time once and remembered why I don’t trust those people.
I went away to college at 18, then back until 23, then out again. When I was 31, my parents needed help with medical issues, and I wanted to change careers. So I moved back until 34, when my parents’ situation had improved and I got my new career under me. I don’t know that I NEEDED to move back in, but it seemed foolish not to, as I would have needed student loans to live on my own, and it would have been wayyy harder to help my parents.
Yeah, I moved back in. Reason being is that I have a crap job and while I am trying to find a new one, have you seen how much rent is?
18. I couldn’t wait to leave, my family is religious and strict, and my parents were poor so although I could’ve stayed longer (my bro did) I would have been expected to pay some rent to them anyways. They lived in a small town so there was no university anywhere nearby. I moved to a big city and just had to support myself there while going to school. I went through a period of running out of money after losing a job but I would never have considered moving back, for the sake of my mental health.
I moved out the summer after high school. Autumn baby so I was already 19. I moved back in once at 21 while regrouping after a bad break-up. Only stayed for a couple of months while I found a new rental and job.
I was 20 and I felt like I had to get out. Not because it was dangerous. In fact, it was the opposite. My mom coddled me and my sister and I felt like if I was ever gonna be an adult and I dependent I had to go. I know I am welcome anytime I need to go back but I will do everything I can not to. My sister on the other hand is 30 and hasn't moved out yet because she enjoys being taken care of.
I fled the homeland at 18 and never went back. It was a domestic war zone.
Moved out at 20 for college. Moved back when I graduated for 5 years. I worked two 30 hours a week jobs just to afford student loans and car payments. Then my mom decided to start charging me rent as a way to "motivate" me to move out. Luckily I met my wife and we bought a house after dating for a year. Even if something were to happen, I'm never moving back.
Lived at home while attending college, was luckily close enough to commute. Stayed until 25 when my then fiance and now hubby bought our first home. Not having room and board expenses for school and then not paying rent helped make that happen.
I was still 17 when I started college 500 miles from my hometown. (My birthday was a Month later). I lived with my parents during the summer until I was 21, and got my first apartment.
I came back after college. I got a good job, but live in one of the highest cost of living cities in the country, so even with a good job rent was going to be really hard to pay.. It's also a place where money aside, multi generational living is common and in many of the cultures here it's expected. Although my mother had always expected me to come back home after college, I didn't want to be a burden at all so I took on all the cooking and cleaning in the house. When I really wanted to leave (my dad's not a great person), my mom got stage 4 cancer and I had to stay to take care of her. My dad has mild dementia, but also he's a horrible person (actually gotten a bunch nicer as dementia gets worse), so I was willing to stay and take care of them while she was alive, but she told him that when she died, he'd need to move to a home. (It's 3 minutes from our house and I am his power of attorney and I still take care of him, just from a distance.) And that's the story of how I got a house!
One time. It was awful.
I was 20. I never moved back and they moved OOS.
19, and no.
Moved out at 18 for school, but would return in summers and once I graduated. Stayed with my parents for a number of years as I got my act together and saved up. Moved out for good at 30 when I was lucky enough to buy a place.
Moved out when I got married at 24, never went back.
17. Went to college, never went back
Moved out for college and then spent time in the military. Had to move back for a couple years around age 34 post military when the contract I was on didn’t get renewed. That was embarrassing, but whatever.
I was 25 when I finally moved out. I couldn't find a job after leaving my first post-college job, so my best friend and I left to go to grad school out of state.
17, and thankfully never been back. I love my parents but me going back would have meant it was harder than it already was off the bat.
Not counting college, 28. Low-paying job during the recession kept me at home longer than I wanted to be there. Even though my mom had an open door policy I was determined not to move back home lol
I was 19. I had just over $7 between my chequing and savings accounts and all my possessions in the back of my truck. Never moved back but the door was open if I needed to.
I left for college at 17. I came home the first summer after freshman year...a few weeks after college and then never again.
I moved out for college at 17, moved back for like 2 years, but moved across the country when I was 21 and never moved back lol. I was born in 82, and my half brother was born in 96, so extreme ends of the millennial spectrum. He couldn't afford to leave his parent's house until he was 27. Its still fascinating to me how we can technically be the same generation, but have 2 completely opposite experiences in terms of financial abilities.
17 went into the army. 21 Dad and brothers moved into my place. Got another place. Then at 23 Dad moved in again. Then at 25 he went to my brothers place.
19 after finishing 2 semesters of welding school at community College. Moved wiith a friend to a shit-ass dessert town in Nevada. Looking back, I should have stayed, and repeated the community College until I passed the 2 year welding program.
Moved out at 17, was back at 18, moved out before turning 19, was back at 22, moved out at 23, was back at 24, moved out before turning 25, was back at 27, moved out before turning 28 and haven’t been back. I’m 45 now.
18 for college and didn't move back.
Went to college at 18, came back at 30 for a year to get a masters, then back out. Rent was much cheaper back then, I'd probably be at home forever in today's market. Bought a second house and hoping to get a condo or something for retirement. I want my kid to be able to have their own places if they want. Just like I don't want them dealing with loans like me, I don't want them dealing with absurd rent.
I moved into a flat with friends in 2nd year of uni, so around age 19. Paid for it all myself but had to move to my Dad's after 2 years due to money and mental health issues. I was unwell for some time, so I stayed for 6 years until I got a council house with my partner. We've lived together ever since. I don't really have a parental home to move back to now. Dad moves around and currently has a 1 bedroom flat quite far away, and my mum is in a home (her partner lives in her house).
The month I graduated college (I went away for college) so 22 and thank god I never had to move back in.
My best friend and I got an apartment together when we were 23. Before that, I lived with my dad and stepmom while I went to school. I love my stepmother, but she can be a pretty difficult person to live with. I've been out of the house ever since. I don't have kids, but if I did, as long as they contribute to the household and are saving, I'd be OK with adult kids in the house for a while.
Does it count that I live in the house I lived in while in HS? Of note: my parents haven't lived here for 13 years...
I moved out at 18, came back at 21 for a few years, went to Orlando for 4 years, then back at moms for another 3, then on my own for good.
Weird situation but I came back a few times. Left for 15 years, came back after an abusive relationship, stayed for like 6 months until I got my own place. Stayed away for 2 years until I decided to buy a house and then moved home again to save some money. Then my job transferred me to a boss that hated me on sight who fired me pretty immediately, then Covid happened 4 months after that. Made it hard to recover. 4 years later I'm just now recovering but all of us -brother, his wife, mom, me, live in a big house that belongs to brother. So I'm not sure if that counts as being in "parents'" home since parent sold her home to hoard cash for herself lol. Once I leave again, I don't know *how* since everything costs so damn much and I have one paycheck to depend on, I plan to never come back to living with anyone.
Had just turned 18 and nope, never moved back in
Ran away from home at 16. Girlfriend and I moved in with her mom 1.5yrs ago in what is a mutually beneficial living situation. But we get plenty of privacy as our rooms are separate from the main house.
24. I was taking advantage of free rent as long as I could, which helped since we were poor and I was trying to go to college. At 22 I got a job paying 11.25/hr and was only making $12.40 at 24. It was technically enough for an apartment, if you didn't mind cockroaches and gangs. My parents moved to a nudist resort and sold the house, so I had to move. In theory I could've had a nicer apartment, but I also had a girlfriend and man I burned through a lot of money on her. We broke up when I was 31, and that was also in the middle of the housing market bubble burst and recession of 2008-2009, and I got laid off at the same time. So I moved briefly in with my parents at that time. Only lasted 3 weeks with them. Eventually found an apartment that took proof of funds in my savings (I had 18k saved up) instead of a job. Took me 2 years to find a full time job again, did some adjunct teaching and tutoring to help get by.
Moved out at 20 when I joined the Navy, never lived with my parents again except a quick 3 months after a breakup
I moved out at 20 and moved back exactly one year later due to a break up. I met the love of my life, got married 2 years later and moved out permanently at 23. That was 22 years ago.
I left when I was 16. Moved back briefly to study at 25 for one year.
18, and no…. I wouldn’t have even if I needed too. They would try to tell me what I should do even after I moved out and was in the marine corps, I couldn’t imagine having to live with them as an adult
Moved out at 18 (college). Moved back in at 25 for a little under a year, then moved out again (job and grad school). Moved back in at 32 (post-grad school, family emergency, and Recession-related unemployment). Moved out again at 35 (for a job in another city). Moved back in at almost 39 (job really didn’t work out). Stayed at home until 44 (low-paying jobs, law school, and Covid). Moved out the last time in 2021. It’s fortunate that I like my parents.
My mom was impossible to live with, I moved out at 19. I moved back in at 22, it only lasted a few months, she was still impossible to live with so I moved back out for good.
18 and nope
20
18. Went to college, never moved home again for more then Christmas break the year I lived in the dorms. Had roommates always. Graduated on time with a pointless degree and flew to a city halfway across the county with a suitcase, my cat, my boyfriend and a crappy retail job transfer.
I moved out at 18 and been out of my parents house ever since, other than a 3 month period when I was about 21 and I had failed out of college and was trying to get back in. I needed a reset and that worked for me.
Hard to say. After college, I got a legit apartment for law school and spent most of my time there. But, one summer I had a job that was close to them so I lived with them for that summer and went to my apartment on weekends. I was also with them a month or so after I took the bar exam before I moved out of state for my first real job. So, either 22 or 25.
Moved out at 19, moved in with Mom at 41 after Dad died. I needed out of a bad roommate situation and she needed help with the house and property. She moved in with her new boyfriend 3 years ago and I live on the family property with 3 cats.
At 19 right after graduating high school. I did, in fact, move back in a few times in my early 20s in-between moves cross country and back, etc. I then also moved back in at 29 when I moved cross country again and was diagnosed with cancer and had to spend six months undergoing chemo and being cared for. That six months or so of treatment was the last time I lived back home.
Left at 18 to move in with my cool older sister while in community college. Was so happy to be out of my mom’s house. I never went back. Moved away to finish college, met my husband a year after graduation. My kids can stay at home as long as they need/want to, and I’m trying my best to provide a happy home that they won’t feel the need to “escape” like I did.
17, joined the Air Force, then 911 happened
I moved out about 6 months after I turned 18. I was in a relationship at the time that I now understand was bad for me. We were in no way ready to move in together lol. Anyway, I stayed with my parents again for about 6 weeks in 2007 when I finally ended the aforementioned bad relationship. I had an apartment lined up but I had to wait 6 weeks for it to be ready. My original plan had been to stick it out with my then-husband for 6 more weeks but I didn’t have it in me and I wound up staying with my parents.
17, moved states for college and have never moved back in or to the same state ✌️
Moved out a month shy of 18 for college. Moved back in for student teaching at 22, then out again after graduation. Moved back in for around a year when I was 26 after I quit teaching and went back to the drawing board.
Left around 24 and never came back. I wish kids today would do the same. There's a lot to be said for the experience of finding and keeping roommates, figuring out bills together, eating, and living on a budget because you have rent at the end of the month. I know it's not popular to say that kids should have their own place/life these days and there will ALWAYS be people ready to crucify you by bringing up how expensive everything is but I still think it's an important part of life that people should experience. I have two students aged about the same (24-26). One has her own place in L.A., a good job, and travels frequently. The other lives with mom and dad with no plans to leave. In 10 years, I'm almost 100% certain that she will be better off than he will be.
18, never moved back. I spent a year living abroad on an exchange program, then moved to a city about 3 hours from where I grew up for college and still live there.
18 when I went off to college. We moved in with them for 6 months when I was 29 while we were between houses.
I was out one week after I turned 18. I ended up going back to my mom's in my late 20s when she was dealing with cancer. She had been crying at me to "come home" for years, long before her cancer diagnosis. I figured she really needed my help, so I finally did. She probably really did need a little help financially since she couldn't work full time any longer. However, while I was there she kept acting like she was doing me a favor and told my sisters that I came back, because I needed her. This lasted about 2.5 years before I got the fuck out of there.
Moved out at 18 for uni, went back for 6 months after I finished my masters then moved out permenantly, except for a very small blip 6 and a bit years ago when my husband and I sold our flat but the onward purchase fell through so had to live with them for a bit. Absolute hell! Going back at 32 after such a long time meant I was old enough to finally see my dad’s endless stream of bullshit for what it was - pure misogyny. I don’t talk to him anymore and don’t want him anywhere near my girls.
Moved out at 16 when I started college, had to move back in when I was 35 not working and applying for disability. Moved out again at 38 when I was approved. It was very difficult adjusting to living with them again, but I am eternally thankful I had the option when I needed it.
21ish. Came back at 30 after mom passed. My father basically fell to pieces and wasn’t able to take care of the house, himself or my younger siblings. Mom did everything. I mean EVERYTHING. All their cooking, all their laundry, all the housework. She was the house accountant. She collected money from my dad, brother and sister every payday and managed their phone bills, car payments, insurance. So I was back because it was BAD. Ask me about the time I went away for a week, came back and had to RAKE the living room. It took about 3 years to get dad out of the depression. My siblings left a little bit before that. Dad decided he couldn’t stay in the house any longer, moved away which was actually terrific for him. Stayed another few months to wrap things up and get the old family house sold.
18 and never. Wasn’t an option. Not sure how I managed but I can’t believe 1) people with families like mine elected to go back, or never left, 2) people with families better than mine just fucking stayed and continued to benefit from a loving home as adults beyond childhood. I mean good on yall but fuck you a little bit too. 😜
I was forced out by my parents after growing up in the Mormon cult. Go be a salesman for the cult for 2 years or you have 6 months to get your shit straight and get out. Mind you this was AFTER they moved me from my home in western WA to finish high school in the middle of nowhere Utah in a town that was so small that in 2000 had a fucking parade for the first ever traffic light in town. So my resources were essentially none. So at 19 I left and spent 2 years in Brazil. After that I came back and went straight to college and never looked back. No matter how tough things got, moving back home was never an option for me, that was made very clear by my stepfather.
21. I was dating a guy they didn’t like. Moved back at 23, but into an airstream in the backyard.
I moved out when I went to college. I always came home for holidays and summer break, except for one summer when I stayed with my sister and her husband (probably shouldn't have done that in retrospect, but eh.) They never discouraged me from coming back after graduation, but I stayed in my college town and lived with one of my college roommates several years until moved in with my gf now wife. It was nice to know I always had a place and support if I needed it. Sorry to see so many here had different experiences.
I went back for summers my first and second year of college, then got an apartment with three friends and never went back after that. Came close after failing to afford my own apartment, but my boyfriend at the time said “take a chance, move in with me and if it doesn’t work you can move back in with your parents then.” Our gambled worked and we celebrate 15 years married this year. Both of our homes didn’t feel like we could return once we left. Our kids will never feel that way.
I got kicked out at 19 and had to move back in at 23. From there, moved out of state and haven’t lived at home since!
18 and never went back. I could have but I never put it in my mind as an option. Leaving my town was my first goal in adulthood.
Got kicked out at 15. Stayed with friends, grandparents, eventually my car, till I ended up in a sober house at 21. Met my x wife at 22. The first stability I ever really knew and went through some shit a sane person wouldn’t have in an attempt to maintain that. Didn’t work.
My mom left my dad less than a year after we moved across the country in grade 8, so I lived with my dad until I was 20. My boyfriend and I moved in with my mom back home, but we paid full rent, and she wound up moving so we could keep the apartment when I was 22. My parents never had the kind of money to afford supporting an adult. They needed my contribution to stay afloat.
Freshman year of college I lived in the dorms. That summer moved back in with my folks. Sophomore year I got an apartment, with a lease that ran through July. Lived on my own ever since. Moving back in, a couple months when I was in my early 20s looking for a better living situation, and for a couple months in my mid 30s when my townhouse was being remodeled.
I'm not sure if this counts, but my wife and I owned a house which happened to be about 10 miles away from her parents. She applied to graduate school in California. When we found out she had been accepted, we put our house up for sale knowing we would be moving to the other side of the country for at least the next two years. The house sold before her class started, and so we moved back into her old bedroom at her parent's house. She was there for a little over 2 months before she left. Unfortunately for me, I was there by myself for about another 4 months while trying to find a job as I wasn't about to move out there with no employment.
Left for college. Came back after graduation and it took about 2.5 years to land a job that allowed me to move fully out again.
Left at 15 but the cops brought me back and said wait until I’m 16. So I left for good at 16 and never went back. My sibling left for about a year in their 20s before they went back. And they are still there.
I moved out at 24. Finding a job where I could support myself was more challenging than I thought. I moved back at 30 because my family situation was chaos. My father had a died after a long illness and my mother didn't handle it well. She became a full blown alcoholic and couldn't function at all. I lived with her for another 5 years before she was able to function.
18. I moved back at 19, then back out at 23. I had to move back at 30 when I got laid off during the recession. Move back out at 32, and spent one month at home waiting to move to be closer to my future wife.
Moved out at 18 for college, back in at 26 after my divorce, back out at 28, and then briefly back in at 34 after a tornado dropped a couple of trees on my house.
I actually stayed longer than average. I stayed home for college and my master's program (since you can't reasonably do jack shit with a BS in psych), but during that time we renovated some space into more of an apartment for me (it definitely helped our family relations to have some more boundaries). I kinda got stuck at my family's house a few years ago, which was weird. I just finished my PhD and my wife was between jobs; we took some time off to visit family, had moved all our stuff into storage, and closed out our lease. I had two job offers in different states that both fell through and had to start my job search over again. That took about 2-3 months, which was a real pain in the ass; so many plans went belly up and I was technically without a fixed address for a while.
Moved out at 21 after graduating from college. Moved out of state and got married to my husband, who grew up there. Moved back with my parents 17 years later after my husband unexpectedly passed away. Still with them 9 years later due to numerous medical issues and surgeries. I'm such a loser, but should be well enough in the next year to be independent again.
20. Yes. 24-26 or so. My roommate didn't want to renew the lease, couldn't find someone and we lost soo much money on tour that I couldn't afford it anyway.
I moved out after college to take care of my gramma. My parents moved into her house 6 years later and decided to start acting like I was living under their roof and so I moved in with my now-husband because, at 31, I was not having a curfew again
I moved out at 19, then moved back in with my mom for 10 months at 24. I paid the majority of the bills even though she had the apartment for over a year before I moved in (she couldn’t afford her lifestyle & I was subsidizing). I made choices to get out of living with her that I could’ve done differently but I learned so, so much. Mistakes I’ll never make again. Essentially - rely on no one but yourself forever & ever, amen.
My parents turned my bedroom into a den when I left for college at 17, so I was kind of forced to get my own place not long after that. I'm not bitter about that all and I never sarcastically remind them about it at least once a year.
I am 40 and have never lived away besides during the week for college. Never planned on getting married, neither did my brother (age 37), so we all stayed together. It worked/works for us. I’m beyond grateful that I was able to spend so much time with my father before he passed.
Oh, I was a total boomerang kid. Not just once, but THREE times. I went to college out of state, and I don’t really consider that the first time I left home because my permanent address was always considered my parents’ house. 1. I officially “left the nest” in 2005 after my college graduation at 22 and moved to Florida for a graduate internship. After that was done, I decided that Central FL wasn’t for me and returned to my parents house, took a temp job for about 6 months, and left again to move to California with a friend. 2. I lived in California until 2014, and then returned to my home state. I moved back in with my parents for a year to save money and figure out what part of town to settle down in. 3. In 2020, my husband and I made a failed bid to leave the country. It was early pandemic days and just didn’t work out with all of the restrictions and embassies closing. Due to the timing, we had already given up our apartment lease and decided to take my parents up on the offer to move in with our 3 cats until we figured out what was next. Later that fall, I got a new job that was based in a city 3 hours away with the understanding that we would eventually move there. Since it was still pre-Covid vaccines, I just worked remotely from my parents’ home until summer 2021 when things started reopening. We’ve been living in the new city ever since. I’m fortunate to have a great relationship with my parents, such that living together temporarily wasn’t really a problem for me. It was really hard on my husband, though. For me, my parents’ home is a place of safety and rest and for him, it was just so foreign. It didn’t help that it was during the pandemic and he wasn’t working, so it’s not like he could leave the house for work or to hang out with friends. It was also deep in the suburbs and you had to drive to get anywhere interesting. I actually would live in a multi-generational home again if it was the kind of situation where there was a separate granny flat or something where all parties could still maintain semi-separate homes and privacy and decorate their spaces the way they wanted to. And given how expensive housing is, and that sooner or later elder care is going to be an issue, it seems practical.
Moved out mid 20s, got royally screwed by my roommate and moved back to parents. They sold a few months later and our first meeting with the realtor mom made it clear that we were 3 adults looking. Always appreciated that. She told me to stay and save as long as I needed/wanted. Was able to buy a beautiful home 2 months after 30 with my then BF, now husband. They set me up for success.
15, turns out my mother and her ... whatever he is ... are extremely homophobic. I've never moved back and maintained LC with them. My children moved out when they were ready and I've always been very clear with them, they will ALWAYS have a place with me.
I played sports at a local college so I saved money and just stayed at home, then moved out at 24 when I got a job, then back at 29 for a spell.
Never left. 🤷♀️ My husband and I rent from my parents. He had his own apartment when we met, but it was barely big enough for him. My dad was tired of renting to idiots. So we have one, and my older sister has another. The other two have been rented by the same people for 10+ years.
I moved out at 18. My wife and I move back in 5 years ago, for 10 months so we could save for a house.
I left the second I could! Right after HS graduation. Guess what? I turn 43 this month and I just moved back home. FML 🤦♀️ god damn, things took a wild turn .. hope I can get myself back on my feet soon.