I’m a Boomerang Kid and I’m not ashamed to admit it.
In case you’ve been living under a rock, Boomerang Kids (young adults who return to live with parents after a period of living away from home – think Packed to the Rafters) are a growing phenomenon amongst Gen Ys thanks to rising rental costs, a crazy property market and the fact that, well… we just aren’t that sensible with money.
If I had a dollar for every time my dutiful dad has moved my furniture in and out of his house I’d have enough to get myself a mortgage but alas, I don’t. Hence, my latest return to the family home came after a long period of living independently and with an extra twist – my boyfriend.
Yes, after years of forking out exorbitant rent in Sydney’s Eastern Suburbs we did the unthinkable 12 months ago and made the shift back home to the sleepy North Shore as part of an aggressive savings mission.
I won’t lie, I cried on our last night in our apartment by the beach. I cried for the social exclusion we would inevitably face being OTB (over the bridge), for the culinary wasteland we were moving to, devoid of our favorite bars and restaurants and because I was just a little bit scared that our relationship might not survive a year of living with the parents…
But we have survived. And to be honest, it’s been more than OK, it’s been great.
While our friends thought we were mentally unstable, we’ve actually taken to life in the ‘burbs quite nicely. Space, we’ve discovered, is totally underrated as is having functional appliances as opposed to a dodgy washing machine that only works on one setting. Silence, it seems is also golden and sleeping peacefully off a main road without the 339 bus tearing down the hill is really quite a pleasant experience.
It’s not ‘cool’ to admit this but I actually enjoy seeing my parents and brother every day and from an economic perspective it just makes sense to live together under the one roof – the space is there to be shared, less food is wasted when there are more mouths to eat it. Sharing a meal around the dinner table and debriefing on the day is also really quite cathartic. Those Rafters just might be on to something…
March 12 is moving day and sure, I’m looking forward to being able to purchase a bottle of wine after 7pm if I want to, being closer to the action, less of a ‘celebrity guest’ on social occasions with friends and being a stone’s throw away from great bars and restaurants but I’m also a little bit sad.
They say there’s no place like home but for this Boomerang Kid, it might just be time to fly the coop for the last time and I can’t believe I’m saying this but I’m really going to miss it!
