boomerang kid
Back-home adult child
A boomerang kid is an adult child who returns to live with their parents after a period of independence, typically due to financial difficulties, job loss, or the end of a relationship.
The term references the Australian throwing weapon that comes back to the thrower.
Their boomerang kid moved back in after graduation when he couldn't find work.
The phenomenon became increasingly common after the 2008 financial crisis and during periods of high housing costs.
- latchkey kidChild returning to empty home
- failure to launchInability to begin independently
- prodigal sonReturning repentant offspring
- adult childMature son or daughter
- remigrantOne who repatriates
gig economy · young adult · dependence · quarter-life crisis · student debt · job market · unemployment · cost of living · basement · demographic shifts · social mobility · readjustment · laundry · kid · child · teenager · parent-child relationships · emotional resilience
boomerang kidself-made success
Achievement without external help
breadwinner · provider · young professional · trust fund kid
boomerang, boomerangs, boomeranged, boomeranging, kidded, kidding