Boomerang Kids: A Revealing Look at Why So Many of Our Children Are Failing on Their Own, and How Parents Can Help by Carl Pickhardt

Boomerang Kids: A Revealing Look at Why So Many of Our Children Are Failing on Their Own, and How Parents Can Help Reviews

• 
  Kate Woods Walker

  Solid, nonjudmental, practical advice for families caught in (mostly financial) challenges fairly spills out the margins of this comprehensive self-help book. But much of the advice would be better directed at parents well before their offspring reach young adulthood, now dubbed "trial independence." Seriously, parents of toddlers, tweeners and young teens--read this now and save yourself frustration down the road.
  
  Those of us who came of age during a time when hitting age 18 meant your butt was out the door, no matter what, should just grit our teeth and learn to deal with the issues this book enumerates. There's no law that says we have to be as harsh as our parents were--read this book and try to absorb some of the author's compassion for the young and flailing.
  
  
• 
  Karin

  Some suggestions in this book are unrealistic for our times. Asking a student to pay for their own apartment while in college is unrealistic unless you expect them to go into debt. Also the thinking that someone in the 18 - 22 age group can make enough money to live on their own is also unrealistic and completely not possible in my neck of the woods without a college degree.
• 
  Cindy Hudson

  Every parent of teens expects difficulties as their children go through adolescence. But what’s less expected and talked about are the issues that arise when children move into their late teens and early 20s and move away from home to either continue their education or work full time.
  
  In his new book, Boomerang Kids: A Revealing Look at Why So Many of Our Children Are Failing on Their Own, and How Parents Can Help, Carl Pickhardt, PhD, looks at many of the issues both parents and young adults face during this time. Pickhardt begins with the premise that late-stage adolescence is when parents need to move from managing their children to mentoring them. He goes on to examine 11 challenges young adults commonly face, and he talks about what parents can do to encourage their ultimate success.
  
  Pickhardt has the experience to back up his advice. He is a psychologist in private counseling, writes a weekly parenting blog for Psychology Today, and is the author of many other parenting books. He talks directly to parents without relying on a lot of industry terminology, and the examples he uses make it easy to understand each challenge and how to approach it.
  
  Chapters also end with helpful “parenting prescriptions” that recap what came before and include suggestions for how parents can react to the challenge presented. My daughters are both in the age range Pickhardt writes about, and they are on the cusp of what he refers to as “trial independence.” I imagine I will keep this book handy and refer back to it for years to come, as my husband and I move through this stage with our daughters. I can also see how it would be helpful to parents of younger adolescents, as it can help them understand some of what their children are going through and how that may play out in the future.
  
• 
  Lenore Webb

  I have my College Girl who is going to be moving into her first apartment this year. I wonder if she will be returning home next summer or not. Will this be her last time at home or will she be one of the Boomerang Kids? It has become well known that many of the young 20 year olds often strike out on their own but if things get tough they return home. It is like a trial independence that many feel has lead to a failed adulthood. I remember my older brother having to return home after his first time out. He was greatly depressed. I am looking at how I can help CG to make these changes in her life. Also to accept that there may be those in and out times of life. I love how parents can help children overcome the following challenges:
  
  Missing home and family: loneliness after moving out on one’s own
  Managing increased freedom: increased discretionary choice
  Unemployment: seeking or losing a job
  Indebtedness: overspending and credit card living
  Stress: coping with excessive demand
  Fear of the future: facing what to do with one’s life
  
• 
  Roseanne Wilkins

  When I won this book on Goodreads Giveaways, I was expecting a primer on parenting adult children. As I read through the book, it's really a primer on parenting teens so they won't become "Boomerang Kids." Early in the book, Carl mentioned that other cultures don't deal with "Boomerang Kids" because the kids are expected never to leave home. Since our culture expects adult children to move out, the issue is a cultural one. If you're looking for a parenting book with many good ideas, this one is it.
• 
  Wendy

  Really great parenting book!