Kids at home? The govt says be mean to them

poppysarah

http://women.timesonline.co.uk/tol/life_and_style/women/families/article6969872.ece

“If you are providing free board and lodgings, a well-stocked fridge, washing and ironing done ... there’s not much drive there. So cut back to help increase their motivation.”

Boys find it particularly difficult to accept more menial jobs in call centres or as shop assistants, she added.
Parents can be their own worst enemies by providing their children with an allowance and use of a car into their late 20s, she said.
Allowing them to wait for their dream career as a screenwriter or actor could be a waste, the guide says, and parents should encourage their children to be realistic about their job prospects and salary expectations.




Interesting ideas from a government that's made it increasingly hard for young people to live independently.

Fire_Fox

Because there is a whole section of society where the women just take on a rubbish job for a couple of years before they fall pregnant, and where the men will claim JSA unless it is made worth their while to get out of bed.

BitterAndTwisted

My sister and brother-in-law appear to be falling into the same trap. One is at Uni being supported by them and the other child has just started a post-grad place being very well-remunerated considering her age and experience and she's not being asked to contribute to the household at all for the moment. I think she should be asked to pay something towards the bills at the very least, but no. This is the child who just bought another pair of Jimmy Choo boots the day before yesterday but to be fair she was generosity personified with her Christmas gifts.

pie81

BitterAndTwisted wrote: »

My sister and brother-in-law appear to be falling into the same trap. One is at Uni being supported by them and the other child has just started a post-grad place being very well-remunerated considering her age and experience and she's not being asked to contribute to the household at all for the moment. I think she should be asked to pay something towards the bills at the very least, but no. This is the child who just bought another pair of Jimmy Choo boots the day before yesterday but to be fair she was generosity personified with her Christmas gifts.

I lived at home for the first couple of years after uni, whilst earning good money, and wasn't asked to pay bills or rent. On the other hand I WAS expected to use the money saved on rent to save up towards a deposit for a place of my own.

scottishblondie

I was discussing something similar with my boyfriend just the other day. He is working and still lives with his parents while saving for his own place but has his own car and pays rent, and did so all through university courtesy of his part time job. His sisters, however, don't pay anything to their parents. They don't have jobs but they do get student loans etc. He's a little annoyed at the double standard!

I'm doing a PhD and live in my own flat. I'm more or less self-sufficient now (I get the occasional gift and sometimes help paying for big repairs to my car etc), although I did get an allowance from my parents during my undergrad degree. At this point I would feel guilty about living off of my parents.

princeofpounds

Frankly I shudder to think at the waste of tax money being spent on reports and leaflets like this. And quite why the department of enterprise, regulation and reform think it is their place to give advice on family life god knows...

There are very basic economic reasons why post-grad home-returners have become more common over past years, which include:

- There are more post-grads as a higher proportion (including less employable peopele) have been going to university.

- There has been a recession, which disproportionately damages new hires. Unemployment has risen amongst 18-24 year olds to 18% now.

- The cost of independent living has risen over the past decade, and state support has increasingly been targeted at those with children rather than individuals. That's a policy decision, not saying its right or wrong but the increase in support has been very targeted by Labour and single individuals have got very little. No more starter council houses either (though that goes way back).

SnowBunny

It's odd. I couldn't wait to get out of home. I love my parents but they drove me mad. I wanted my independence! They put a lot of pressure on me to find a job... I had to pay them rent when I did. They didn't make my life comfortable at home.. i.e. I wasn't allowed to come home late or 'treat their home like a hotel'. I had to live by THEIR rules. So I left home straight after university and here I am... 11 years later... Running my own successful business.

In contrast... my younger brother was treated very softly. As younger siblings often are. And his life at home is extremely comfortable. He gets pocket money still and has a huge bedroom with his own sofa, television. He's 25 years old - has only just passed his driving test. And only just got a job. But he still doesn't pay rent and he isn't planning to move out of home any time soon.

Most of my friends - some aged in their early 30s now - still live at home.

What's going on with the world? Is it really just because house prices are so out of reach? I can't believe that for a second. It was hard when I left home. It was hard when my parents left home.

BitterAndTwisted

Buying or renting a decent place to live has always been hard. When I first left home I shared a bedroom, it was very common then and was all I could afford at 18. Young people nowadays appear to aspire to living on their own once they leave home AND I dispute that expecting young adults earning a wage to make a contribution to the household are being unfairly treated, I think they're not being prepared to live out here in the real world with the rest of us and will prove harder to shift than a case of boils. Who wants kids still living at home in the lap of luxury until they're in their 40's?

princeofpounds

What's going on with the world? Is it really just because house prices are so out of reach? I can't believe that for a second. It was hard when I left home. It was hard when my parents left home.

That's one reason, but as I point out above there are many others. Youth unemployment is very high right now - you CANNOT get a place with no income, rented or owned, unless your parents actually take steps to evict you. Almost 1 in 5 18-24yr olds are in this exact position.

The proportion of 18-24yr olds living at home? 1 in 5.

Almost the exact same proportion.

Use your brains to look at the figures before condemning a generation.

Do not forget either that there are lots of people now going to university and returning who previously would never have gone away in the first place. For all the 'it was tough when I was young' chat, the fact of the matter is that it was socially very normal for families to live together in the working classes until marriage until very very recently.

HappyMJ

princeofpounds wrote: »

The proportion of 18-24yr olds living at home? 1 in 5.

How many? This article http://www.guardian.co.uk/society/2009/dec/08/young-adults-living-parental-home-ons says that 25% of 25-29 year old males are still living at home with their parents. So did they move out at 18 then back in at 25? I think the proportion of 18-24y.o's is a bit higher that 1 in 5.

princeofpounds

How many?

I was just quoting what it states in the Times article above. Actually it's one in five graduates at home at 18-24, not one in five overall.

But 'boomerang' is a term that specifically means post-grads returning home, not the overall population.

You could assume that the unemployment rate is a bit lower amongst graduates than the overall 18-24 population, but really the level of unemployment is so high that there probably isn't a massive gap in explanation between youth unemployment levels and youth home-staying levels.