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iQuestions Faculty, Ron Blue 
 
 
Question: 
 
How do I deal financially with “boomerang” children? 
 
Answer: 
 
One of the phenomena that is occurring more and more in America 
today is what’s called “boomerang children”—this is where the 
children, you think have left, but they end up back at home.  
 
Now, there’s many reasons why they might end up back at home. 
Perhaps it’s something like a divorce, which we’ve experienced in our 
family, or perhaps they can’t find a job. There are many, many things 
that can cause this.  
 
But I think when you’re dealing with boomerang children, the first 
thing you’ve got to ask is, “Why are they back here?” number one, and 
number two, “Am I enabling them to be less productive than what 
they could be?” 
 
One of the ways to address the issue is to—if you have a child who has 
come back to live at home because it’s cheaper—is to agree with them 
how much support they’re going to provide for your house. Do they 
pay rent? Do they help with the food budget? Do they help with the 
sundries budget? And so forth. 
 
In other words, Mom and Dad are not necessarily an interest-free bank 
that they have. Once again, it comes down to, in dealing with your 
children, probably expectations and reality being defined as well as 
you can, so that there’s not a coping gap. 
 
 
 
I think when a child comes back to live with you, why are they there 
and how long are they expected to be there—and you both need to 
understand that, and you both need to understand what are the rules 
of the house. If they have come back into your house, do they now set 
their own rules, or do they live by your rules—are they the same rules 
that they had when they were in high school or college? 
 
So, why are they back, what is the expectation, and what are the rules 
—so that there is a real clear understanding as to what you can 
expect.  
 
To enable them to live with you financially because it’s cheaper is not 
necessarily in their long-term benefit. So, understand, “Why are they 
here, and what is our next step, relative to them living with us?” 
 
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