NYSTCE Family and Consumer Science (072) Practice Exam

Adults who move back in with their parents after leaving home are commonly called boomerang kids. The image of a boomerang returning to the thrower captures the idea of returning to the parental home after a period of independence. This term is widely used in both media and academic discussions of families, making it the most recognizable label for this pattern. Other terms aren’t as standard for describing this situation; nesters may be used in some contexts to describe people who stay at home, but it’s less specific and not as commonly applied to adults returning home. Returnees and homecomers aren’t the typical terms used in family studies for this phenomenon. The concept often relates to broader factors like housing costs, student debt, or job challenges that influence why an adult might return to the family home.