Grown Kids Returning Home? Celebrate It

Here's a familiar story line: More grown kids are moving back home with the folks, delaying their own maturity and causing misery for their parents. Except this "nightmare scenario" isn't so, write two experts in the New York Times. Young adults who get financial or other kinds of help from their parents tend to end up with more clearly defined life goals and report more satisfaction. "Our research shows that the closer bonds between young adults and their parents should be celebrated, and do not necessarily compromise the independence of the next generation."

The trend has actually been going on for a while: About half of parents in 1986 said they had spoken to a grown child in the past week, while 87% of parents did so in 2008. Other cultures encourage young adults to stay involved with their parents, but this fell out of vogue here. That's changing in a big way now, though the perception that this is wrong still stings both generations. "Maybe we just need to get over this discomfort," write Karen Fingerman and Frank Furstenberg. Read their full essay here. (More parents stories.)