Don’t Stay Out Late! Mom, I’m Twenty-eight: Emerging Adults and Their Parents under One Roof

Abstract

This qualitative study focuses on Israeli parents of emerging adults who still live at home, and explores their feelings and thoughts of the benefits and difficulties of the situation. Semi-structured open interviews were conducted with 27 Jewish non-religious parents who have one child aged 21-30 living with them, who was the youngest in the family, and the last to leave home. Most participants expressed comfortable feelings toward their young adult child living at home, and also mentioned some difficulties and conflicts. The findings reveal that alongside the good feelings, parents face substantial challenges in living with their emerging adult offspring who are on an extended journey toward adulthood.