None of mine live with me, and they're not quite of the age to be pushed out of the nest anyway. However, I've taken a lot of pride these holidays in introducing my 11 year old daughter to the joys of catching public transport on her own. And today she and her friend Em went to the Art Gallery and the cinema without adult company. Hopefully when she's 20 something the last thing she will want to do is hang around either of her parents' homes.

But I did feel the slightest twinge, not because I thought she shouldn't be flying solo, but "What if something happened to her?" I think that the underlying reason kids stay at home so long is that parents have become cripplingly risk averse for their kids. And the reason for this is that society will apply sanctions to parents whose children are the victims of accidents, even when the probability of those accidents is so low that no rational person would view them as an unacceptable risk.

If you create a good sense of family, immediate and extended in your kids i think you're half way there.

Independence can still be learned within a supportive network.

A more light-hearted thread for a change in this forum....

As a 20-something year old, I am currently living at home, I have no intention of spending a fortune in the housing market atm or even just renting a place in the new future. Have rented a place for a while when I was at uni but figured that to seriously have some savings for future investments (possibly buying a house), staying at home is the best option (did some simple maths). But you guys don't start thinking that I'm a bludger..I pay my share of utility bills at home and help do the chores...

There is nothing wrong of wanting to stay at home, afterall it is good to be close to your family and allows you to save up some money...