Nancy and Rich thought they were doing right by their son, DJ.
They saved and sent him to college, and then to law school.
But then, after graduation, he was forced to move back into their South Orange, NJ, home.
Back into his old room and back into his old routine of calling his mother to check in if he happened to be out late.
“It really is rough for a 28-year-old to have to move back into his bedroom,” Nancy said. “And, of course, it interrupted our empty-nest syndrome, which was going along quite nicely at that point.”
Nancy requested we not use her last name in the article, so that it wouldn’t come up in Web searches when their son applies for work.
DJ was working, but his $10-an-hour internship at a Newark law firm wasn’t getting him out of the family residence.
And Nancy and Rich figured they spent almost $15,000 on expenses like suits, cellphones and maintaining an extra car in the eight months their son was home, just getting him ready to find work.
This is a scene being played out all over the country. Once the diplomas are handed out, this year’s best and brightest are saying, “What now?”
According to a recent report by Ameriprise Financial, 93 percent of baby boomers have provided financial support for their adult children.
About 55 percent of boomers have allowed their children to move home and live rent-free; such returnees are sometimes referred to as bounce-back kids.
With few alternatives, the bounce-backs seem happy. “I would obviously love my own apartment. However, I love this area, and rent is outrageous,” said Tara Alberse, who moved back home to New Providence, NJ, last year after graduating from Moravian College in Pennsylvania.
There is hope: DJ finally landed a job last month. One of the first things he did with his new paycheck: After eight months in his parents’ house, he got his own place.