Your Adult Children Moved Back Home, Or Never Left? What About House Rules

Children moving back in with their parents. This is a tough one, for both the parents and their children, but unfortunately not so uncommon this day and age.

The pandemic turned back time for many empty nesters, as their homes were suddenly filled with the pitter-patter - or thud-thud - of their adult children’s feet returning to the safety and financial security of their parents’ homes. But in the two-plus years since the pandemic’s onset, only a third of those who returned home during the pandemic have spread their wings and flown their parents’ coop again. Two-thirds are still in the coop.

Lending Tree surveyed more than 1,300 U.S. parents and/or Gen Zers or millennials to get their thoughts on post-pandemic living arrangements.

Young adults who moved in with their parents during the pandemic are focusing on paying down debt and saving for a home. Of those, 39% say they’ve been able to pay down debt, while 31% are focusing on saving for a down payment. And of those who’ve since moved out, nearly 3 in 10 bought a home. But whether they bought or rented, 71% would only return home if they had no other option.

Is living at home with parents a dating deal breaker? 45% of millennials and Gen Zers say it is NOT a deal breaker. They’d date someone while living with their parents, and an additional 38% would consider it. Only 17% flat-out refuse. Many of us who have lived on our own for a while understand that 17%!

85% of parents would let their children move back in as adults or have previously done so, and most (73%) wouldn’t charge them rent. However - more than half say their kids would need to get a job, help pay for groceries, household bills, and help with chores like cooking and cleaning.

Adult children living with parents is most common in Hawaii, New Jersey, and Florida. The percentage of adults ages 24 to 40 who live with their parents in those states is above 20%. At the opposite end, in North Dakota, just 5.3% of these adults live with their parents.

As you saw above, many parents would let their adult children move back in if they needed to. Ten percent of parents said they wouldn't have ANY rules.

These are the "house rules" and conditions that came up most often:

1.  They'd have to help with cooking and cleaning.  58% would enforce that one.

2.  Help pay for groceries and other household bills, 56%.

3.  They'd have to have a job or get one, 53%.

4.  Pay rent.  Only 27% would charge their kids rent.

5.  Have a set timeframe for when they'll move out, 11%.

6.  Have a curfew, 10%.

-Carla Rea

It's back to school time around the country - and that means GERMS.

New research from Clorox found that kids' backpacks are often the most neglected by parents when it comes to sanitization, and it shows. Here's the fun truth:  Your kid's backpack is covered in way more germs than your disgusting cell phone.  So, maybe don't let them toss it on the dinner table when they get home.

Germs can stop a lot of people in their tracks.  By adopting a germ-prevention strategy, parents can help prevent the spread of illness-causing germs on surfaces. Clorox is teaming up with the world's most decorated woman in track and field history, gender equality advocate, entrepreneur and mom, Allyson Felix!  Together, they're helping to educate parents on germ spread in order to help keep households running smoothly for an unstoppable school year ahead!

Survey of U.S. Parents

To uncover the true impact germs can have on us, Clorox conducted a nationwide survey among 1,000 parents of school-aged children:

Millennial parents of color often experience greater impact from illness with 85% reporting that they had to take a sick day or unpaid time off due to a sick child within the last year compared to only 78% of white millennial parents.

42% of millennial parents of color reported feeling nervous about the back-to-school season compared to only 32% of white millennial parents.
Moms are more likely to be stressed about back-to-school (38% vs. 24%) while dads are more likely to be happy (67% vs. 39%).
More than half of all parents surveyed (54%) are stressed at the thought of their child having to stay home.

Clorox also  swabbed a bunch of things in homes with school-aged kids.  Here are a few stats on the most germ filled things in your home

When your kids get home from school, their clothes are 28 times germier than the average toilet seat.  (In reality, toilet seats aren't really that germy though, so don't panic too much.

The average couch  is as germy as a dog's tennis ball, and twice as germy as the fridge door handle.

Hard surfaces like counters, TV remotes, gaming controllers and fridge handles were roughly 26 times germier than the average bathroom doorknob - which is blech.

Most parents - 69% to be exact - are worried about their kids bringing germs home from school. 54% fully expect their kids to get them sick at some point this school year.

Studies have found that on the average toilet seat there are 50 bacteria per square inch. It's actually one of the cleanest things you'll run across in terms of micro-organisms.