boomerang child

Definition

Synonym of boomerang kid (“a young adult who has moved back into the parental home after a period of independence”).

Etymology

From boomerang + child, a reference to the ability of a boomerang to return to the thrower after being thrown.

Example Sentences

• "It has been said that "when the going gets tough, the tough get going." But that saying doesn't set too well with today's generation of so-called "boomerang children." Chicago Sun-Times writer Ellen James Martin describes "boomerang children" as "grown offspring who move away from home for college, a job or marriage. Then something goes amiss and they're back home. Times are harsh. It's very expensive to live." [...] Not all "boomerang children" are young. The U.S. Census Bureau's study of Living Arrangements of Never-Married Adults In 1990 reports that 23 per cent of the 35–39 age group lived with their parents."
• "Of course, in some homes there are, as my grandmother would say, "good and grown" children still living at home, and other children, now called "boomerang children," coming back home with their children."
• "Although Christina's stepsister, Ashley, was successfully launched to college, the fact that she was then living at home with Shoshana made her launching incomplete and therefore she was a boomerang child. Liz's brother, David, could also have been considered a boomerang child. Although he still lived in his own apartment, he was dependent on his parents for financial support and therefore affected their plans as a couple."