In countries where I've lived, children often live with parents until they have at least one masters degree, have started a career, and, in Mexico at least, have built their own house-up to 30 years old.
But in the US, parents often expect their children to be out of the home by 18 years old, whether or not they attend college.
Which do you think is the better idea?
To be able to afford rent and other costs, US young people often room together or move in with significant others, take entry-level jobs.
In Latin America is very common -specially for the woman- to live with her parents until she marries....regardless of having a profession and a good job; is a very stupid tradition....like are most of the traditions we inherited from Spain. Fortunately, the European immigration to several South American countries has diffused somewhat these retarding traditions.
My husband and I decided long ago that our children are welcome in our home regardless of age as long as they are respectful to everyone. Currently, our sons are 19 and 22 and still live at home when they aren't at school. We have agreed to pay for their bachelor's degrees to try to help give them a better chance when they do decide to try to brave this big and oftentimes scary world in which we live. I have family members who have thrown their children out as soon as they graduated from high school, and I don't understand it.
It depends upon the family. I had to get out of my mother's house ASAP, she is an abusive bitch with Borderline Personality Disorder. I could probably have lived with my Aspie father until I was 30 or so, but he died when I was 12.