Do people really have to move out at 18 in the US?
Posted by Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit | AskAnAmerican | View on Reddit | 213 comments
Because I’ve often heard that in the US, once someone turns 18, they are expected to move out and live on their own. Is this actually true, or is it more of a stereotype? Do most people leave home at 18, or do many stay with their families while studying or working?
Angry_GorillaBS@reddit
Have to? No.
Most want to. Or at least used to want to. Kids are strange these days. I guess finances make it necessary for some to stay. I wouldn't have stayed regardless.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Yeah, that also sounds like it used to be more about wanting independence, but now finances are a big factor. I guess priorities have shifted a bit.
kmckenzie256@reddit
This has been asked so many times.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
I think a lot of this comes from movies and media; that’s what most of us see, so it creates that impression.
BulkyTiger8706@reddit
Mostly a stereotype, plenty of people stay home through college or move back later, it just depends on finances, family, and culture.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Seems like it just comes down to finances, family, and culture more than anything fixed.
RightFlounder@reddit
That's definitely a stereotype. There's a few teens who leave at 18 for one reason or another, and there's some some who live in dorms while they go to college, and some who stay home in colle.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That’s what it seems like. More of a stereotype than a rule, everyone just does what fits their situation.
AcanthaceaeOk3738@reddit
Not really, but there’s a kernel of truth.
Generally, when someone becomes an adult, they’re expected to chart a path toward independence. If they go to college, they’re usually welcome at home during breaks and summer and such (or if they go to a local school, then all the time).
Most families will let kids take their time figuring out independence for a few years, no matter the path.
But once they get a full-time job with a livable wage, there’s usually an expectation to move out. And most kids will want that too; there’s usually some shame associated with living at home if you’re an adult who doesn’t need to.
And there are always exceptions. There are some parents who do literally tell kids to leave at 18.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Turning 18 and more about reaching a point where you’re able to be independent. And yeah, makes sense that once someone is earning properly, both sides kind of expect that next step.
ForestOranges@reddit
In my area it’s not uncommon for people to stay at home for a little to save money if the first full time job they get is local. I graduated college at 22 and lived at home for about a year until I got a full time job out of state and no one in my area found it weird.
steely_92@reddit
It really depends on that family. A lot of families having a "revolving door" situation for young adults while they find their footing.
I'm my social circle (mostly middle class millennials) most of us moved out for good in our mid 20s. But you'll get very different answers from different age groups and different socio economic groups.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Yeahh, I'm getting that “revolving door.” Feels like it’s less about one clean move-out moment and more about phases until things settle. And yeah, seems like age and background really change the answer a lot.
Interesting-Virus-45@reddit
I started college and moved into a dorm at age 17. I came home for a couple of summers and worked to save enough money to support myself during the school year. At age 22, I left for grad school at a different university that was 6 hours away and never lived with my parents again.
ForestOranges@reddit
Did you immediately find a job after grad school or did you just have enough savings to support yourself until you found one?
Interesting-Virus-45@reddit
While I was in grad school, I started working ft for state legislature. I did have a few thousand saved, but my job kept me from having to spend any of it. I also had free tuition via scholarships, fellowships, and work, which was a big help.
ExtentOk1892@reddit
not true or a stereotype, tho some families do expect their kids to move out or go to college asap
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That’s kind of what I was trying to understand. It’s not a rule, but more of a family or cultural expectation in some cases. Makes sense that it varies a lot depending on the situation.
ExtentOk1892@reddit
yeah most people dont expect their child to move out or go to college when they reach 18, its usually only strict parents or a cultural thing
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Ohh, okay, Case-by-case thing, depending on family or culture, not something most people actually expect by default.
SabresBills69@reddit
I got that crap from my dad in the 80s. those who turned 18 through the mid 70s coukd do and have a career without college and start working full time at 18 and move out.
after thst time because of…
post WW2 baby boom
more women wanting to work full time careers in broader places
changing immigration in the mid 60s saw an influx of immigrants and their kids.
therr was a lot of job applicants for jobs so employers used the “ college degree” as a screener which resulted in many going to college before they start their career so they can’t move out at 18. now it’s generally shifted to after college. in some metro areas with high cost of living, the kids can stay at home to save for affording a home.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
From what you've just shared, I'm guessing that it’s not really about age; it’s how the job market changed over time. Once college became the norm, moving out naturally got delayed. And with higher living costs now, staying at home just makes more sense for a lot of people.
Puzzleheaded-Jury312@reddit
Not a rule, but it's common for 18+ children living at home to be expected to either have a job or be a full time student. I did both; full load at community college while pulling 40 hr/wk at a home improvement store.
Living at home let me save up for my Bachelor's degree (tuition, fees, books, housing etc), while getting a bunch of base course requirements out of the way. Once I quit my job and transferred to a 4 year uni, I only had courses in my major left, and got my BS in two years. It was a huge money saver.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
It actually sounds like a really practical way to do it. so i'm guessing it’s less about moving out and more about being responsible, either working or studying. And staying at home can actually be a smart move financially if you use it well.
mvanpeur@reddit
I'd say it used to be more of a rule. When I graduated high school (the real cutoff, not your birthday, most people graduate at 18 though) in 2010, moving out within a year was the expectation whether or not you went to college. The only people I knew who stayed home were people who were joining the family business.
But I think especially since 2020, that expectation has changed. I know a lot of people in their low 20s who live with their parents now. They are working or studying and contributing to the family.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
It feels like a clear shift over time. I guess earlier it was more of an expectation around finishing school, but now it’s way more flexible. Now it's making sense with how things have changed after 2020.
Emergency_Process622@reddit
A lot of media used to have characters that can't wait to move out once they're 18 so theyndidnt have to live under their parents oppressive rules anymore. Mostly to date who they wanted or party or whatever.
I think as parents have gotten less strict about dating etc this attitude that you gotta get out of your parents house ASAP has fallen out of fashion.
Also housing is pretty shit in the US these days so it's just not feasible to move out anymore.
There is an expectation to contribute and get a job especially if you're not going to college. Some parents might threaten or kick their children out if they're slackers as a tough love way to get them motivated to get their act together.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Yes, media and movies too, I've seen relatable movies, that's how it gets in mind. Sounds like it used to be more of a mindset thing, but now it’s more practical. Between costs and changing parenting, staying longer at home feels normal now.
river-running@reddit
I'm curious how you thought it could be a rule. Like did you think there was a law prohibiting people over the age of 18 from living with their parents?
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Haha, no, not like an actual law. It just gets talked about so often that it starts sounding like a rule. I wanted to understand how true it is in real life.
redditseddit4u@reddit
It’s a stereotype because it was very much an expectation a while ago. I think the expectation has drastically changed over the last couple decades as cost of housing has increased.
ExtentOk1892@reddit
it maybe used to be a stereotype, but its definitely not anymore
Apocalyptic0n3@reddit
Most people aren't forced out at 18. But most people want to move out at 18. Often for college, but also just to start living on their own. Our culture values and encourages independence in a way other cultures does not.
CinemaSideBySides@reddit
No. Many move out at 18 because that's when they go to college and many live on campus, but it's not uncommon for them to move back home during summers or move back after graduating from college while they work on launching a career.
There is an expectation that kids eventually move out and support themselves.
I feel it's important to add (based on questions we get here) that people still have relationships with their family even after moving out, whenever that may be. People still love and spend time with their parents even if they don't live together.
ScatterTheReeds@reddit
No
Commercial-Land-6806@reddit
This is going to wildly differ going from person to person and family to family.
Some were kicked out at 18, some left for college at 18, some couldn't leave fast enough at 18, some stayed at 18. It really just depends.
For me I stayed. I had handicapped family and offered to stay to help take care of them. Even now with them gone my old man is okay with me staying due to how ridiculously expensive it is out there and because we both would be bored af by ourselves.
ForestOranges@reddit
Who in this day and age is getting kicked out or has a place to move into at 18? Any 18 year olds that I see moving out nowadays are doing the college or military route. I graduated HS in the 2010s and even the people I know that didn’t go to college didn’t move out right after graduation needed to save up some before they could move.
Commercial-Land-6806@reddit
Oh agreed I dunno how people do it to themselves or to their kids. I had several from my graduation group who were kicked out or immediately moved, college or not, at 18 and I dunno how any of them did it.
Bluemonogi@reddit
Some people do but many people don’t move out fully from their family home until they are through college and ready to start a job- or ready to marry.
People might not want to go to a school or get a job in their hometown so might move out at 18. I don’t actually know anyone whose family kicked them out at age 18. You hear stories about it so I’m sure some toxic parents do it.
ShareEvening5856@reddit
This is one of those ideas that was created in the last 30 or 40 years or so and it was true maybe 20 years here but it's stuck. There's a number of reasons why this impression happens in the US against other countries starting with the Zeitgeist of American exceptionalism and the myth of the nuclear family, that allows American families to be extremely isolated and feel proud of it. When people get older they have no support system, and are trapped in the government setups for nursing homes and such, which eat away at the retirement instead of being left to the kids, who didn't want to take care of the parents anyway and feel justified in cutting them off in their later years. Both the parents and the children spend excessively and extensively in psychotherapeutic services and medications, with the impression that that will substitute the insurmountable work of actually getting the family to get along.
Pale_Row1166@reddit
If your parents are so shitty that you need to go therapy over it, why would you want to live with them any longer than you need to?
ShareEvening5856@reddit
Exactly! It gets better, it's a society that has made it socially acceptable for children to hate their parents so much they're counting down the days to run away. American society congratulates each other for going no contact with their parents because isolating yourself from your family members is seen as cool, instead of attempting to fix the relationships with them. You see that pattern repeat itself in the way parents parent their now incredibly socially awkward children. It's fantastic! Then you have people spending on a car and a house and everything for themselves because they don't share it with one another. Since families don't get along things are hardly inherited, and sometimes it seems that the only way to ensure generational wealth in the United States is by accepting the disgusting racism involved in coming to that wealth. It's either family unity or humanity. In America you can't have both.
Pale_Row1166@reddit
I see it s progress. If your family is horrible, you can get away. You don’t have to suffer abuse or mistreatment just because of blood relations. Having a terrible family can weigh very heavy, and lead to emotional and even physical repercussions. Your comment is coming off like you might be a parent who’s had their kid run far away from them.
ShareEvening5856@reddit
It's funny how even in anonymous commenting, people will try to make low psychological attacks on strangers because they are uncomfortable with the truth they are saying.
Pale_Row1166@reddit
Are you talking about your own comments? Because I agree.
ShareEvening5856@reddit
That is so specific and mistaken. So you're thinking I am some old hag pissed off because my kids are not talking to me? Lmao. I saw it happen to my ex's family, it's not a personal situation. But I've seen it happen with a whole lot of American families. Did you know that 85% of the population in the world lives on less than $30,000 a year, which is considered below the poverty line for most states in the United states? Can you imagine the open mouths of the rest of the world as they look around American reality shows, trying to figure out how you are so bad at getting along with one another when you have so much money?
ShareEvening5856@reddit
Lots to unpack there.
I would favor a society that encourages accountability for the abusive family rather than encouraging the children of abusive parents to run away from their abusive situation and do something else. Because isn't that what the country's done always? That's how you end up with Epstein Trump situations for example. People just deciding that they're doing good and looking the other way is enough. The bullies can destroy what they want on the other side it's fine.
ShareEvening5856@reddit
Progress? I mean yes I can see it in a way, the belief that there is a better place than when you are at home. You know what that sounds like? Immigration. Only they come here.
Groupthink00859@reddit
Am millennial, and yes we largely had to move out by 18.
I moved out with I was 16.
ForestOranges@reddit
I’m a late millennial and in my community, most of us went off to college at 18 but didn’t fully move out until our 20s. My college didn’t even let us stay in the dorms during holidays and summers. If you had an apartment you could stay, but most of the people who didn’t go home over summer played a sport at the university, had a local internship, or had family problems.
Groupthink00859@reddit
Also late millennial, so still latchkey generation. Like not allowed inside till the streetlights came on, our parents were the reason the news had to reminded every one they had kids at 10pm every night. I idea our parents would let us stay past 18 was net even a thought to most of us.
I only know one person my age/community that stayed home, and he was a rich kid with with extensive medical issue, so moving out was never really an option anyway. Everyone left and really never returned or never left in the first place.
Sounds like we lived in different parts of the world honestly.
Entire_Toe2640@reddit
At 18, kids are possibly at a university so they’re naturally living outside the family home, but they’re still financially dependent. It’s not that the kids “moved out.” I would describe it as the family home expanding to new territory. By 24, kids are expected to have found a path and to be out of the house. After 24 things get a little uncomfortable.
Ok-Office6837@reddit
For tax purposes, a child (under a specific age - 24 I think?) is not considered to be outside the home while going to school unless they get an apartment and move there full time (don’t come home for summer break). The child is still considered to be under their parents’ roof. There are rules relating to income too but unless someone doesn’t speak to their parents at all, that rule is usually ignored for purposes of claiming children as dependents.
I agree that most people are expected to at least be financially independent by the time they graduate college (22-23), though I know lots of people who moved back in with their parents for a handful of years after that.
Some people even move out on their own and then move back in with their parents later so they can save money for a house more easily, or so they can save money to pay off student loans, pay off their car, etc.
Better_Chicken_5184@reddit
Nah, even with an apartment in another state they're considered a dependent. This is true even if you are estranged from your parents like I was. That means no financial aid for school without their tax records.
The exemptions are if you have children or are married.
Ok-Office6837@reddit
I work in taxes. There are income limitations. If a child provides more than a certain percentage of their own living expenses, legally they are not a dependent. I don’t remember the specific age cut off, but they must be a full time student and they can’t provide more than a specific percentage of their own living expenses. As I said, people tend to ignore the living expenses. Once the child is no longer a full time student for a specific number of months during the year, they are not a dependent.
Better_Chicken_5184@reddit
Yeah, but that still requires the parents to disclose their finances.
Ok-Office6837@reddit
On their own tax return? Yeah. But if that child files their own return, the parents are SOL and are not going to get the dependent deduction.
lky830@reddit
I believe Obama more or less extended this to 26 with continuation of medical benefits and parents being able to still claim financially dependent children up to 26 on their taxes, but only if the child is enrolled full time as a student. I don’t think it has changed in the meantime, but I could be wrong.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That “family home expanding” idea actually explains it really well. 18 isn’t really “out on your own,” it’s more like a transition phase, and expectations just get higher as you get older.
sneezhousing@reddit
What happens after high school or whatever it's called din your country
ForestOranges@reddit
Not OP but in many other countries people don’t go so far for away for university. An Argentinian was asking on here why we move so much, he says in their country much more people just live in their home province or maybe a nearby for their whole life.
A European was asking why we have “college towns” and colleges in the middle of nowhere. In their country, the universities are already in major population centers and many kids just commute on public transit or they just rent an apartment nearby there’s no university housing. When I thought about studying in Spain during college, I realized the university I was interested in had no housing and non-local students were just expected to find an apartment. I ended up just studying in a different country that had dorms lol.
Maleficent-Hawk-318@reddit
This also varies by region. I grew up in New Mexico, for example, where multigenerational households are very common and there really isn't the same expectation to move out early, especially in Hispanic and indigenous families. I was actually pretty surprised when I moved to a different region and saw a lot more judgment about it.
IHaveBoxerDogs@reddit
OP, do kids where you are from not graduate school and then go to college college or university?
I don’t know anyone who is kicking their kids out just because . Of course I does happen. But a lot of kids are ready for some freedom and to start their lives.
ForestOranges@reddit
In a lot of countries kids study at a university near home or if they don’t live in a city they commute daily using public transportation. When I studied abroad one of the reasons I ended up not going to Spain was because they didn’t have dorms, I would’ve had to find an apartment. I ended up just picking a country that had dorms similar to what you’d find in the US.
The_Motherlord@reddit
In the 1950's - 2000's, yes, once kids turned 18 they were expected to move out. Either go away to college, maybe come back for visits, maybe never return to their childhood home. Oftentimes parents used their room or downsized so there was no where to return to. If they didn't go to university the parents usually kicked them out. Sometimes they were kicked out prior to 18, sometimes daughters were married off to get them out. My mother was married before 18. No, she wasn't pregnant. She graduated high school and got married. All of my childhood friend's mothers were married by 19. I was out of the family home at 17.
Around the 2000's it started to change in that some families that had difficulty paying for university encouraged their children to attend a local college and remain living at home to save on costs and people kicked 18 year olds out less and less. By the time Obama was in office he extended the age in which children could be claimed on parent's taxes and also be allowed on parent's medical insurance, from 18 to age 26. Even so, many young people go away to university at 18 and some never live in their family home again and some parents still kick out their kids after high school graduation. As the economy worsens more and more young adults are living with family longer, even after having their own children.
My oldest went away to university at 20 and never lived with family again. My 3rd went to University at 16 and never lived with family again. My 30 year old and his wife still stay with me regularly as does my youngest.
I think it has a great amount to do with capitalism. A family with 4 children pays 5 utilities bills, pays for 5 sets of appliances and 5 households of furniture the sooner you get those young adults out of the family home. So I think American society was intentionally indoctrinated, cultivated, that young people had to leave the family home in order to establish independence and succeed in life.
ForestOranges@reddit
Yeah by the 2000s the whole move out by 18 didn’t really seem to be a thing anymore. I also spent most of my life either in the Northeast or in major metro areas, so people typically don’t get married that young.
Pirate_Lantern@reddit
You don't HAVE TO, but it's typical for a person to go off to college at that age.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
So it’s more about going to college than actually being forced to move out. I guess the independence just comes along with that, not really a strict rule.
SixFlagsFiveGuys@reddit
If they don't go to college full time, they better be working full time and paying rent.
How do other countries do it?
Ristrettooo@reddit
Well, even in the US this attitude isn't super common. Plenty of people in my age group (mid 20s-early 30s) lived with their parents sometime after age 18 and they all worked and/or attended school but none of them were expected to pay rent to their parents. The whole point of them staying with their parents was so they could build their savings by avoiding paying rent.
littleyellowbike@reddit
I've known several younger people who pay rent to their parents once they're out of school and working, but their parents save that money for them and give it back when they move out. I think that's a pretty good approach.
linkxrust@reddit
Not everyone does that. I would never implement that bullshit with my son. And he will never have to pay me rent no matter his age. Lol.
KartFacedThaoDien@reddit
Most people dont do that pay rent bullshit. Some people might make their kids lay certain bills like let's say internet and gas. But this whole widespread of "paying rent" isn't something that the average parent would ask for.
ForestOranges@reddit
I think paying parent’s rent is more common in certain subcultures, but I wouldn’t say it’s super widespread. Like you said, if they pay anything it might be internet or electric. One of my friend’s paid rent, but they grew up poor. Another friend paid rent, but it was $100 or $200 a month just to help out with bills and food, not a significant amount.
MorddSith187@reddit
or at least doing chores. i have a few mom friends whose adult children don't work or do chores.
TheBimpo@reddit
Replace the word forced with “encouraged”.
Things have changed over the last 10 years or so due to economics, but historically Americans have viewed part of parenting to be raising someone to become an independent adult. Independence and having your own living space is viewed as a goal, a desirable outcome.
It’s a lot more fun to live with your friends when you’re 19 than with your mom and dad and little brother. Most people in my generation had an apartment that they shared with a number of friends, it was some of the best times of our lives.
Want_To_Live_To_100@reddit
Yea I was pumped for my freedom I moved a few states away and just did my own thing for 6 years of college then started my career. I had side jobs to pay for apartments and stuff but the freedom of leaving home was intensely gratifying. I love home but no reason to live there when there is a whole world to explore. I came from a poor Rural area and there wasn’t much back there except family.
szayl@reddit
ForestOranges@reddit
Getting an apartment with friends or a bf/gf at 18 is so much harder now than it was 25 years ago. Some guy born in the 80s said he just showed his bank account balance and the fact that he maintained summer jobs during previous summers. To rent a ROOM during Covid I had to prove consistent income, having money saved or previously having a job wasn’t good enough.
MessoGesso@reddit
In my family, we had to. But you're right in general. Lol
swishkabobbin@reddit
All that happens if you don't is your parents pass on to you all the shame that their friends cast on them for failing to raise a thriving 18 year old
PenaltyNo3221@reddit
I would say that the norm of American culture in this respect is that given the legal adult age of 18 (which corresponds with high school graduation), 18 y/o kids are expected to either go to college or start working full time in order to at least begin to transition life into adulthood. However, individual familial situations vary greatly, so whether or not you get “kicked out” of home at 18 depends on the relationship you have with your parents as well as their expectations.
Cookies_2@reddit
I had a friend come live with me when I was in highschool. She was a ahead of me, her dad kicked her out the day she finished her last senior class. She didn’t even turn 18 until the end of July
ForestOranges@reddit
Yeah this was my question, where do people who get kicked out at 18 even go? Just to rent a room in a city near where I grew up they required multiple paystubs to prove you could even afford to pay. You also had to pay a security deposit. Unless they already had a job before they turned 18 and had money saved, getting a place on your own at 18 would be really hard.
SaucyNPC@reddit
I was expecting to pay rent and utilities with a deposit if I wanted to stay after the day I turned 18.
So I graduated at 17 and left lol
ForestOranges@reddit
What year was this?
OccultEcologist@reddit
It's kind of both true and false at the same time? Depends on your family. The US is not very homogeneous on a lot of things, and this is one of them.
It kind of ranges from "You parents leave your shit on the curb on your birthday" to "Your parents don't understand why you want to move out even though you're 30. After all, you aren't married yet". There is an element of sexism involved - women are generally discouraged from living alone, so tend to have 'softer' urgings to move out from family.
But yeah, it's generally "Expected" that you move out by 20 in most of the US. There's also a weird period where you might still be using your parents address as your "perminant" address while you attend school or apprenticeship or alternatively just move from cheap apartment to cheap apartment for a while.
ForestOranges@reddit
Yeah it’s definitely dependent. 20 seems young from my experience. I don’t know anyone who was kicked out at 18. Also, many college kids aren’t fully “moved out.” They often come and go during breaks and holidays unless there’s some type of strained family relationship. I graduated, came back at 22, lived at home for just over a year, and moved out of state at 23.
There was zero judgement from my parents, friends, or people in my community for living at home when I was 23. It was common among a lot of people who either didn’t get a good job straight out of college or people who did but they just wanted to save up before moving out.
Ketzer_Jefe@reddit
18 is when you are legally an adult and CAN move out on your own. Most 18 year olds will either go to college for 4 years and return home over Christmas break and over the summer between school years. the most common thing to do is to live at home with yohr parents until you are financially able to afford your own place. I didn't move out until I was 26 (3 years after college). some parents will kick their kids out at 18 and they have to figure it out, but that is not the norm, just the story that is most often perpetuated online and in TV/movies.
Littleboypurple@reddit
Only a small minority of people are genuinely forced out at 18 by their parents, typically because the parents are shitty to begin with. Alot of people move out, usually at 18, because they simply want to. They are either leaving for college, military, or simply independence. Not everybody does though, some stay for longer which is perfectly fine, especially in this current generation and economy. I moved out when I was 21
Wind_Responsible@reddit
14 if you’re me.
ForestOranges@reddit
How? Did you go live with a friend or another family member?
Cara_ionam@reddit
No. I didn't move out and I don't know of any that did. It's too expensive.
They may move away to go to university, but they tend to be back during holidays and summer break.
ForestOranges@reddit
This was how it was for me too, but college was a common path for people in my town. I don’t really know how this works in communities where the majority of high school kids don’t go to college after graduation.
megamanx4321@reddit
Only parents who never wanted to be parents kick their kids out at 18.
ForestOranges@reddit
Or the parent gets remarried and the step-parent convinces them the kid has to go
Olookasquirrel87@reddit
I think there’s a couple scenarios:
Parents are genuinely done supporting the child at 18. They are told to move out. Most uncommon but most traumatic when it happens.
Kid moves out for college, comes back for breaks but essentially starts fledging the nest.
Parents say “you graduated high school you need to do something with your life - either enroll in school or get a job.” Kid picks job, has money, decides they can afford freedom and moves out with friends or roommates. Has varying degrees of success. (Note this varies from the first situation in that there is an option to remain at home, but the kid has Money and therefore Is Rich Now.)
My brother picked option 3. 3a was fully paid college & a car, but he went with 3b, which for him included roommates who took advantage of him and made him overpay his share of the rent. He’s back home now, just turned 41! (I did 3a, I loved that CR-V, that was the old style body with the split hatch… got me back and forth through my master’s at least.)
Unhappy-Ad-3870@reddit
I don’t consider going away to college really “moving out”, unless you’re staying away from your parent’s home over the summer too and just visiting for the holidays. I went away to college at 17, but was home between mid May and the beginning of September while the dorms were closed every year.
ForestOranges@reddit
This question came up before and the people who either didn’t go home over breaks or were lucky enough to attend colleges where dorms didn’t close got really defensive. I eventually moved into an apartment off-campus but our dorms closed over breaks and holidays, kids had no choice but to go back home unless they had a legit reason to be on campus (athletics practices or international students) or filled out paperwork for a hardship exemption if they didn’t really have a “home” to go back to.
GemarD00f@reddit
im 26, 27 in a few months. i still live at home.
partially because shits expensive, partially because I have 5 cats, and partially because if i do move out id rather not have roommates I dont know.
im also pretty happy living at home. cheap rents letting me save, I dont have to cookevery night. lotta upsides.
Either-Youth9618@reddit
Many kids are still in high school when they turn 18 so they just stay home and go to college after the graduate from high school. This myth seems to be from the fact that 18 is the age of majority so a kid could legally move out at 18 if they chose to.
ForestOranges@reddit
Well for people born in the 80s and earlier it was much easier/cheaper to move out at 18. Rent was cheap and leases were sometimes signed with just a promise and handshake. They were less strict about income requirements, showing pay stubs, and having first and last month’s rent on top of the security deposit.
ayebrade69@reddit
That’s around the age when you start college and generally you leave home for that then get your own place after graduation. Experiences may vary
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
That sounds like a more natural timeline. So it’s more about life stage than age; college just ends up being the point where people start living more independently.
CreepinJesusMalone@reddit
Pretty much, though it's getting less and less common due to cost of living collapse.
I went to college about 30 minutes from my parent's house so I still lived at home at 18. This was in 2008. But I drove to my part time job and school every day, so has expenditure wasn't much less than what I'd be paying to split rent and took up a lot of time.
So when I was 19, my girlfriend and I got a small apartment together beside our university. Then I walked to school and only drove ten minutes to work. We split a $300 monthly rent. It wasn't a nice apartment by any means, but it was great having the freedom.
I made $7.50 an hour as an assistant manager at a mall arcade. She made $10 and hour as a shift manager at office depot. We both went to college for free on a Pell Grant because our parents' made very little money at their jobs.
Our utilities (power and water) were included in rent. We were on her mom's cell phone family plan, so that was only $40 a month. Our Internet was under $100 as well. My dad was gracious enough to keep paying my car insurance which was only like, $50 a month or something like that.
Basically, we made $1600 a month and could afford to pay our bills and go out to do fun stuff.
That's literally impossible now. Federal minimum wage is still $7.25. Most state minimum wages are only $15 or so an hour. Yet groceries, gas, utilities, and rent have nearly quadrupled in cost.
My fucking mortgage alone is $1800 a month lol. In 2009 gas was under $2 a gallon where I lived. Right now it's over double that and people around here may commute 1+ hours to a job and there's little reliable public transit.
Ergo, people moving out at 18 has become less common and people moving back with with their parents after 30 has skyrocketed.
Mental_Freedom_1648@reddit
Yes, a lot of people go to college far enough away that it wouldn't make sense to commute. Plus, a lot of teens want the on-campus living experience. Parents often pay for college or at least help out a lot, so it's not like all 18 year olds are suddenly expected to make their own way.
Kbbbbbut@reddit
Most people move out to go to college at 18, spend the next couple of summers at their parents house, and then move into an apartment on their own or with roommates after graduation. So I guess kind of.
I moved out at 18, spent the first two summers with my parents. Interned for summers 3 and 4 in another city. I wasn’t fully supporting myself until I had graduated at 22. But never lived at home full time again after that second summer
cyvaquero@reddit
Not really, sure there may be some homes where that is the expectation but usually the kids want their independence or leave for school.
Both of my girls moved out at 19, by their choice. They didn’t have too, they are attending a local college, have good jobs, and wanted the independence.
ChrisEWC231@reddit
I was thrilled to move out at 18. That was decades ago.
My nieces and nephews have mostly not only not moved out, but are living at home well into their 20s.
Partly, I think home life these days is generally less chaotic than it once was (more stress in single earner homes, higher crime rates back then, far more supportive structures these days).
Partly, it's because costs versus earnings are such a negative today. Partly due to housing shortages. College is very costly today. Various other changes.
No. Today people don't have to move out at 18 and it's less common than it once was.
Generally speaking, is day most do move out in their 20s sometime. Some do before 18. I had a couple friends who became emancipated minors at 16 due to rotten home life.
These-Ad5332@reddit
In the 2000s many white families I knew had the same standard. At 18 you're either going to college or working full time. But either way you're moving out.
I moved out at 15 and never went back.
It's not a law or a broad cultural rule. Some families believe that when you're an adult you're on your own.
ForestOranges@reddit
Moving out at 15 technically isn’t even legal in most cases. I was born in the 90s and it was expected you would study or get a job after high school, but no one expected you to move out right away. How would a kid who just graduated have enough money to move out and pay for all of their bills on their own? 50% of parents in the US are still paying bills for their adult kids.
machagogo@reddit
Am white born in 74. No white families I know made their kids move out at 18. Not a single one.
VxGB111@reddit
Same, I graduated in 00. No one was forcing any kid i knew to move out. Although, a few had been kicked out during high school, usually because the dad was an abusive pos.
NoelleElizabeth68@reddit
It really depends, there are a lot of people are kicked out at 18. Kids that weren’t really wanted, their parents are just waiting for that 18th birthday so they can legally kick out hem out. Check out r/povertyfinance.
Subvet98@reddit
It was common a couple generations ago for kids to move out at 18. Especially when there were more manufacturing jobs. Now that more people go to college before going the work force and the economy is weaker kids stay longer.
rawbface@reddit
No
possums101@reddit
I just saw a study that a huge amount of young Americans in their 20s live at home. In my state New Jersey it was something like 42%.
sitonyouropinion@reddit
I moved out 18. Bought my first house at 27. Im 33
VxGB111@reddit
My mom (who is almost 70) talks about some of her friends in high school being forced to move out at 16. She wasn't expected to do that though. She stayed with her folks through college and until she married dad.
I know of a few kids who were kicked out by their parents as teens. That definitely wasn't the norm though.
So, perhaps in the past some cohort of people expected their kids to move out at 18, but thay wasn't true for most kids in my youth. With the current economy, I very seriously doubt it's expected at all anymore.
ArtDecoNewYork@reddit
No, it's quite rare to be forced out at that age or even your 20s
FormerlyDK@reddit
Other than for college, it’s not very common but it certainly happens.
Equivalent-Speed-631@reddit
There is no law that children must move out of their parent’s house when they turn 18.
It just depends. Some people think that they are only responsible for their children until they turn 18 and that they are on their own at that point. These are the people that tell their kids to move out at 18.
Kids that go to college may live on campus during the school year, but come home on breaks and during the summer. They don’t move out per se. Some people expect their children to get a job and move out once they graduate college. Some people except their children to stay living at home even after they graduate and get a job.
When I graduated high school in the 80’s, almost everyone I knew was expected to either go to college or get a job. If you were doing either of those things, then you didn’t had to pay rent. Some kids paid rent to their parents but it wasn’t really rent. The money was saved and given to their kids when they moved out.
Back then, there were kids who moved out because they didn’t want to follow their parent’s rules anymore and you could afford to live on your own or with a roommate or two. Now it’s kind of hard to do that. I see a lot of kids moving out
No_Election_1123@reddit
As many have said College is the biggest reason for leaving home, though these days a lot do come back after College because they can’t get a job that pays enough for them to rent or they’re saving money for a deposit
Then there’s a lot of kids who go to Community College ( local college that offer two year degrees) they’re usually cheaper than the universities plus the advantage of staying at home so not paying rent. After the two years they take the credits they earned at College and transfer to University for the rest of their education
Finally we have the kids who never leave own, where possible they move to their parent’s basement (esp in the MidWest) and live down there (see Wayne’s World)
CemeteryDweller7719@reddit
That varies by family. Is everyone required to move out at 18? Not at all. Are there some families that expect their child to move out at 18? Absolutely. I think it’s more common that they don’t move out except for going off to college or military, but there are families that expect their children to move out at 18. Be that move out immediately after high school graduation or immediately after turning 18. The child is legally an adult so the parents aren’t required to allow them to stay.
pikkdogs@reddit
No.
Only if your parents make you. Most kids are in and out for another decade still.
Individual_Check_442@reddit
Not true at all. They move out when they’re ready to support themselves, not just when they start their own family like a lot of. Cultures.
ridelikeagurl@reddit
I couldn't stand my controlling parents so while I could have accepted a scholarship at a local university and stayed home for uni. I choose a better university about 3 hours away, similar scholarship (tuition waiver + $). Some kids need to move out at 18 for their own independence and mental health.
I think that Ive turned out pretty well. I have a master's degree, a home, & I lived aboard for several years. I haven't spoken to my parents in 15+ years. I don't even know where they live.
IWantALargeFarva@reddit
I was kicked out the day I turned 18. I also had shitty parents. My oldest is now over 18. She’s in college and still lives at home between semesters. Once she graduates, we want her to move back home for a little bit while she gets on her feet financially.
SamAllistar@reddit
Used to be expected. I know some Gen Xers that were forced to move out at 18. Not expected now, but people often move out for school, possibly moving in and out for years. I currently have an issue where my mom is trying to get me to move back in with her. I'm 36, like being alone and have a cat allergy; she is loud, wants people around constantly and has double digit cats.
Darth_Lacey@reddit
For kids who have shitty parents, 18 is an important milestone. It’s the birthday where the parents can just kick them out, or the age where they can move out without being legally emancipated first. It’s awful and some people shouldn’t be parents
Traditional_Entry183@reddit
When I turned 30 years ago, the expectation was that I went to college, joined the military or found a full time job. I went to school.
Today's world is harder though. College is super expensive and jobs are hard to find. When my own kids hit that point in a few years, my wife and I will be very understanding and patient as we help them get to the next state of life.
Cheap_Coffee@reddit
In my family I was told I was expected to move out and stand on my own two feet.
However, that was the 80s and it was much cheaper cost of living then.
Porcupine-in-a-tree@reddit
I’d say it probably was a lot more true in the past than today. When I turned 18 I was able to get an apartment with a friend for dirt cheap. I don’t know that my kids will have as easy a time finding cheap housing. They will be able to stay at home as long as they need to.
ForestOranges@reddit
Yup. When this got asked before some people born in the 60s-80s were sympathetic towards young people now and others still thought things could work the same way. Some guy basically didn’t believe me when I said apartments want current paystubs, security deposit, first month’s rent, and last month’s rent. He moved out without pay stubs since he didn’t have a job, they accepted previous W2s since it proves he was working in previous years. He also just needed a security deposit.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Feels like it was easier earlier, but now with costs going up, staying at home longer is just more practical.
FlusteredOwl@reddit
Generally, it’s a very common expectation that after finishing high school (around age 18), people are expected to move out, go to college, or get a job and start contributing to household expenses (at least a nominal contribution).
Wonderful_Shower_793@reddit
It was true for me. I left for college and lived theee hours away. Came home for a week my first semester and then after that moved in with my boyfriend of a year. I just turned 40. I have a child that will be 18 soon. He lives with his dad, but neither he nor his 16 year old brother have immediate plans to move out. They couldn’t afford it at the moment.
Mrfixit729@reddit
Depends on the family. I moved out before I was 18. I know people that stayed with their folks into their 20s.
APC_ChemE@reddit
So my parents gave me and my sister an ultimatum. We had to either go to college and they’d support each of us for four more years, or skip college and be out of the house after high school graduation.
My dad was especially firm about it because he had a relative in their 40s still living at home, and he didn’t want that for his own kids.
They stuck to it, too. My sister took longer than four years to finish, and they cut her off right on schedule, she had to take out loans after that.
As a kid, the idea of being on your own and potentially homeless that soon is scary. It definitely pushed me to choose a degree that would lead to a stable income, since I knew I couldn’t rely on them long-term.
Dgp68824402@reddit
No
Rj924@reddit
Most kids who get kicked out deserve it or have shitty parents.
WildlifePolicyChick@reddit
No.
Doone7@reddit
There is a lot of pressure to. I stayed home in between going to college and trying to get on my feet. Parents were constantly telling me I was a let down for not being on my own yet and how they wanted me gone. I did finally move out to live with my partner and his parents, who weren't quite as bad. Now we are on our own and its nice. But it took ages.
A lot of my generation was like that I think, at least with my friends. I had several who had to be homeless for a few years because their family made them leave at 18.
Current kids it seems to be more acceptable to live at home longer, because people are finally realizing its damn near impossible to live on a single paycheck.
Steamsagoodham@reddit
Most people turn 18 during their final year of high school and continue living at home at least until graduation at the end of that school year in Spring. Some people continue to live with their parents if they’re staying local, but it’s pretty common for students to move for college or to just get their own place.
I left home for college the summer after graduation and was so excited to do so and have my own place (kinda). I would have been absolutely miserable had I stayed home and missed out on a lot of great experiences.
FilthyMindz69@reddit
All the kids in my family(4) moved out at 16 except The youngest. She was 19.
It was pretty normal in our family. Most of my aunts and uncles from one side moved out before 16 and a few well before 16.
It wasn’t a rule, we’re just trashy 🤣
Minute_Point_949@reddit
The legal requirement to support your child ends at 18. That doesn't matter to the vast majority of families, but parents can evict an "adult" child at that point
L_knight316@reddit
While I've heard stories of parents kicking out their kids at 18, its usually accompanied by "there was family drama" or some variation there of. Kids CHOOSING to leave is generally more a sign of kids wanting their own space as they grow up and parents helping out where they can. Otherwise, if there's really no tangible reason to leave, most parents aren't MAKING them leave.
Now, if you're approaching your 30s and still living with the parents, things start getting more complicated.
HardcoreHope@reddit
Yeah, a lot of conservative families believe in God in Jesus until it’s time to do the right thing or follow in his feet steps.
Then they follow their true god wealth the root of all evil.
CycadelicSparkles@reddit
It varies family to family. My family did not do that.
BananaJelloXlii@reddit
No. Actually, many people are staying at home longer because of underemployment, low wages and high rent costs
bmsa131@reddit
Well a lot of kids turn 18 senior year of hs so they are living at home being supported by their parents bc they are still kids. But yes around 18 is when kids go to college and lots move out for that temporarily
Better_Chicken_5184@reddit
For me it was 15.
Ok-Possibility-9826@reddit
these days, unless it’s for academic reasons, folks really only move out as soon as 18 hits if they don’t really get along with their family.
MustacheSupernova@reddit
It’s not uncommon, but it’s also not 100% expected. Many live at home until well into their 20’s or beyond…
Soldier8_1981@reddit
My kids are 20 and 27 and still live at home. My son (27) has a good job (IT), and has a active social life. My daughter (20) is still in college.
Aware-Owl4346@reddit
There is no one cultural norm. I have heard of parents forcibly pushing their kid out at 18. But it’s very rare.
If I had to generalize, American kids really want to get away from home once they are adults. Maybe it’s the American value of independence. Why wouldn’t you want to make your own way in the world, and prove yourself as an independent human?
MattressBBQ@reddit
"Get a job or go to college, but definitely move out." That was me in 1980. I think now with the cost of living in rents and how hard it is for people at that age that more of them are staying at home for longer.
Interesting-Virus-45@reddit
That was a conversation my mother had with my brother in 1984. He was brilliant and sensitive, but a little immature and needed motivation to get out and do something with his life.
confusedrabbit247@reddit
My sister is 35 and still lives at home. I moved out at 25.
trees_are_beautiful@reddit
My eldest daughter started until she was 23; my youngest moved out at 18. Their choices.
Spirited_Season2332@reddit
Depends on the family. I know a few ppl who got thrown out at 18
Southern_Conflict_11@reddit
Lot's of people talking about college here... Tons of American families simply kick their "adult" children out at 18
Kennesaw79@reddit
In my family, it was 16. My three older siblings had either dropped out of high school, gotten pregnant/married, and/or moved out. When I was 16, I was expected to have a job and pay for all my expenses besides rent. My parents' house had an apartment in the attic, and I lived there, but had to pay for my own phone line, groceries, car payment, car insurance, and entertainment.
Rattlingplates@reddit
They don’t have to but damn does it turn them into good people vs the ones the truck their girlfriend in their parents house until they’re 35z
BelethorsGeneralShit@reddit
It's common, but of course it's not a hard and fast rule. Especially in high cost of living areas. Hell there are people in their 30's still living at home in my area.
But for me yes, that's what I did. I moved into the dorms in college at 18 and did not live full time at home again after that.
Melodic_Pattern175@reddit
Not in my home. My kids left home when they were ready and it was affordable to move into their own place.
OpeningChipmunk1700@reddit
Note that many Americans move for college.
OriginalSilentTuba@reddit
Even that is typically temporary. Most college students who move for school go back home during breaks between semesters. It’s not until after college when the real “I am moving out in my own permanently” happens, though some folks stay home with their parents for a few years after college to save money.
Sea-Evidence-5523@reddit (OP)
Ahh, okay, that makes more sense. It’s not really about being pushed out; it’s just that college naturally leads to moving away for a lot of people.
Haifisch2112@reddit
You're considered an adult when you're 18, but it's not quite mandatory that you move out. That's the age when you can start applying for credit and owning things in your name, so some teenagers will look at it as their time of freedom and will move out.
Always_Reading_1990@reddit
Mm a lot of people go off to college and then don’t ever move back in. I went home for two summers between my first years at college, but stayed for an internship the third and then started a full time job right after graduation and had my own apartment. I was an outlier even then, though, and motivated to be independent because my home life sucked. My boyfriend and 1/2 of our college friends moved home for a bit while they job searched, or moved back in temporarily a few years later while going to grad school or looking for new jobs. I would say that economically, fewer people do this now than 10-20 years ago because the cost of living is so high.
yahgmail@reddit
In my family it's common for young adults to live with parents during college, sometimes until they get married or start dating seriously in their mid 20s.
syndicatecomplex@reddit
Many do stay with families, but you'll almost never see that in any American media because it's less exciting than moving somewhere new when you're 18.
gremel9jan@reddit
it’s 100% not realistic anymore. Prices and corporate profits continue to rise while wages are still very far behind
MacheteTigre@reddit
Only if you have awful parents
Toriat5144@reddit
No completely untrue. It varies greatly. Some go off to college. Others stick around for a few years, or get married, live with a partner, etc. there is no one size fits all.
FondantAltruistic965@reddit
That's mostly just an old movie trope from the 80s and 90s tbh. with how absolutely insane rent and the housing market are right now, a massive percentage of young adults live with their parents well into their 20s. nobody is strictly forcing you out the exact second you turn 18.
Hey-Bud-Lets-Party@reddit
Which movies?
machagogo@reddit
Crickets will continue
Radar1980@reddit
I left at 17. Went to university and then moved over 1000 miles away. Don’t go back much.
machagogo@reddit
No. I, and most of my peers, were home into our 20s. I was 26 when I moved out with my girlfriend. My brother was 25.
(I am now 52 for timing context)
This isn't a stereotype, it is something Europeans have fabricated in their gossip circles. It might be based in going away to college being thought of as forced to moved out, even though most all will be back on breaks, and many more still for a bit when they graduate
Prize_Consequence568@reddit
Depends on the particular family OP.
Judgy-Introvert@reddit
It really depends. Some do. Some don’t. It’s not a has to situation in most cases. Both our kids moved out around 18-20. Our daughter moved back home after her divorce as even with a full time job, she can’t afford her own place. That’s becoming more common.
KiwiTabicks@reddit
Certainly not on their 18th birthday, when most people would still be in secondary school. It would be very rare to move out before finishing school.
Once finishing school (usually when 18), there are three main paths. I am ranking them in order based on how common they are in my experience, but this will vary based on community:
1.) Attend university away from home. The individual will live at/near the university during the term, but will still claim their family home as their permanent/main residence, and will return home during the summer and holidays. Once completing university, they might go into either #2 or #3 below.
2.) Live at home with their parents for a period of time. In some cases, they are basically having an extended adolescence (hanging around the house, not in meaningful employment or education), but in many cases they are attending education/training locally or working. Many entry level jobs don't pay enough to live comfortably independent, so people stay with their parents for a couple years to save up. Or until they feel comfortable or motivated to be fully independent.
3.) They move out and live independently. In my personal experience, very few people move out immediately at 18 or after graduation unless they are joining the military, going away for college, or there is a difficult relationship with the family. It can be very difficult for an 18 year old to afford to live alone (or even with other 18 year olds), so most wait until they have established income before moving out.
Kaethy77@reddit
Many young people continue to live with their parents. Also many can't get away fast enough.
TyraNotBanks5@reddit
Some parents are apparently counting down the days until their kid hits 18 so they can kick them out but not all parents are like that, a lot of people don’t move out at 18. I’m 20 and stay at home because it makes sense and it’s easier since I’m in school and rent near my school is so expensive, I stayed “on my own” in a campus apartment from 18-19, though. My mom even told me that she wants me to stay at home as long as possible lol
OldChairmanMiao@reddit
Most people around that age are leaving for college at that age. It was more true historically, but "boomerangs" have become more common since the early 2000s.
In general, it's considered a normal part of growing up for people to become independent by moving out of their parent's home.
SunnyCynic@reddit
My brother is 28 and still at home. It varies by person/parents. I practically flew out the door at 18 and never went back
Oystershucker80@reddit
No. Foreigners and this sub have some weird obsession with that nonsense
Patient-Ad-7939@reddit
Some, but very few, parents are asses and kick their kids out when they turn 18 because they hate their kids. Most, will let them live with them for years after if they want. It’s common to go to college at that age, but it’s very common to go to a local college so many people stay at home. Out of all the teenagers at my church, only 1/4 of them go out of state for college, 1/4 of them go a few hours away, the other half go to one of 3 local universities and live at home. It’s also not uncommon for a child who moved to their college to move back in when they graduate if they don’t land a decent to high paying job elsewhere so they could afford to move somewhere else.
SuperPomegranate7933@reddit
Yes. Every single 18 year old, even if they're still in high school, is forcibly dragged from their home on their birthday. Then they enter the gladiator ring to fight for apartments.
HermioneMarch@reddit
😂
roastedandflipped@reddit
In NY not true usually. Its expensive and most people come drom diffrent places in the world where kids stay home
erilaz7@reddit
I went off to college at 18 but my parents' house was still my "permanent residence" until I was nearly 22. Even though I'd officially moved out, I still had some of my stuff there for another 30 years.
A friend of mine in her mid-30s still lives with her parents. Another friend of mine lived with his parents until they died, when he was in his 40s, I think. He still lives in that same house, where he's lived his whole life.
HermioneMarch@reddit
Have to? No. But many do either for school or because they legally can and are sick of their parents. But multigenerational households are becoming more common in the US.
Spongedog5@reddit
This is more dependent on cultural group than the country at large, but I would say that the typical "American" culture (as meaningless of a term as that is) would definitely be that you would leave home soon after becoming an adult either for school or after beginning your career, though the idea of someone being kicked out right as they turn 18 is pretty rare and dramatic.
urquhartloch@reddit
The expectation is that within a few months after graduating high-school (around 18 in the us) you should have a path forward. Whether thats trade school, university, or a job. Those who dont and expect to be cared for by their parents might be kicked out to force them to jump start their own life. But that is exceptionally rare.
Ok-Highway-5247@reddit
no
Antioch666@reddit
Move out for college sure... otherwise no, most can't afford that.
Huge_Monk8722@reddit
No
Straight-Stick-2752@reddit
They are not kicked out. That's abusive. But they are expected to live on their own.
It's about privacy, exploration etc.
Klutzy-Comment6897@reddit
Meh. Idk if I’d call it abusive to encourage them to grow up and support selves.
Straight-Stick-2752@reddit
Depends on the attitude. One can motivate or discourage.
Klutzy-Comment6897@reddit
Yeah good point.
jennnfriend@reddit
In the conservative world, a lot of families kick out kids at 18 to teach them personal responsibility. It's rarely unexpected though.
I started paying a small rent at 18
myexsparamour@reddit
At age 18, parents are no longer legally obligated to provide for their children. Many continue to support their children despite not being required to, while some don't.
kae0603@reddit
I know very few people who moved out at 18. Those who did were because of bad parents . I am genx.
ChessieChesapeake@reddit
Not in this economy.
Zenthane@reddit
I think it's a lot less common now than it was. That said, college starts generally then and many people would move to their college assuming it's out of town. So yes and no. I don't have any children of my own, but my wife's 2nd child still lives with us and he's about to turn 30 (not that I really like having him, but he ain't mine).
genxer@reddit
It isnt the norm I would say. Parents arent legally responsible for providing at that point but, I'd say the majority let offspring stick around.
tslave557@reddit
With the economy the way it is, I don't expect my kids to leave at 18 unless for college. My oldest is under 13 so I have a while until I have to worry about that. I had a bad home life and moved out at 16.
ImamofKandahar@reddit
It used to be more true when the rent was cheaper, like in the 80s. Many kids do move out after graduating high school especially for stuff like college or the military. But many more are staying home than in the past. Or returning home after college.
SinaloaKid@reddit
Not everyone. Im 20 with a normal job and still live with my mom.