| Olympia, Washington: You breathed a sigh of relief | | | | cutbacks are additional reasons the boomerang |
| when the last of your kids left home. You | | | | generation comes back to the nest. |
| redecorated their rooms into an office or gym | | | | Shaputis is now the self-proclaimed psycho-social |
| and you're not only getting used to the quiet and | | | | leader of a movement consisting of countless |
| less hectic pace of life, you're actually enjoying it. | | | | thousands of post-parenting baby-boomers who |
| Then one day, it all changes and suddenly, they're | | | | have found themselves sharing their homes with |
| back. Those same kids who left months and | | | | their now adult children. What happened? It's called |
| sometimes years ago have returned with enough | | | | CNS - Crowded Nest Syndrome. For better or for |
| emotional baggage to fill the cargo hold of a plane, | | | | worse, for whatever reason, adult children are |
| staggering debt and possibly a house-full of | | | | back in their parental homes. Most have or will |
| furniture. | | | | move back in with their parents at least once in |
| According to a recent statistic, adult children are | | | | their twenties and thirties. |
| returning home in alarming numbers. In fact, the | | | | Kathleen's survival tips for living in a crowded nest: |
| latest U.S. Census data reports one out of four | | | | Do not make them comfortable; they will never |
| (27%) 18 to 34 year olds are living with their | | | | leave. |
| parents. Author, Kathleen Shaputis knows about | | | | You have the right to eat your own leftovers. |
| this first-hand. Over the last nine years, she has | | | | Take care of yourself; you need your strength |
| had two adult children and multiple grandchildren | | | | and wits about you. |
| re-invade her home. Now, Shaputis has written | | | | More People + More Laundry = Cold Showers. |
| The Crowded Nest Syndrome: Surviving the | | | | Get yours in first. |
| Return of Adult Children to help others cope with | | | | Never give up; never give out your ATM number. |
| the dilemma of "boomerang children." | | | | Available in bookstores and online. Visit for |
| Whether your adult children have taken an | | | | ordering and information. |
| expensive ride on the credit card carousel, or | | | | Other books by Kathleen Shaputis -- Grandma |
| recently divorced, more than ever they are | | | | Online: A Grandmother's Guide to the Internet; |
| returning to their parents' home to recoup. | | | | Changes in Attitude (romantic comedy); 50 |
| Down-sizing careers and middle-management | | | | Fabulous Places to Raise Your Family, 3rd edition. |