Advice to Parents

When Grads Return Home

A large percentage of graduates now return home to live with their families before ultimately departing for lives on their own. If this is the only choice available, what's the first thing to do?

1. Make sure your son or daughter is happy with the arrangement.
2. Set up ground rules so that your grad knows what's expected.
3. Organize your home so that your grad has as much privacy as possible.

"B" is the best answer. Respect the fact that your grad has grown up and is not the same person who lived at home as a teen. Sit down together and openly discuss financial and household responsibilities, family dinners, personal privacy and boundary issues, dating, curfews, etc. Then create a list of written ground rules or draft a contract you both can sign and follow.