When Stats Canada last checked, 51 per cent of Canadians aged 20 to 29 still lived at home with their parents — that's more than double the figure 25 years ago.
The number was so high, in fact, that it prompted filmmakers Sharon Bartlett and Maria LeRose to document the phenomenon in Generation Boomerang.
“They don’t seem to have that same desire for independence that we had when we were growing up.” Or so 63-year-old Bartlett thought, going into the documentary.
She and LeRose have since discovered that the reasons kids aren't in a rush to leave home are as complex as they are multi-faceted. A tough economy, stringent competition for jobs, and pampered rearing are just some of the reasons grownups stay put.
Meet some of the stay-at-home 'kids': 29-year-old Caleb Reyes, a construction worker whose mom still makes his dinner; 24-year-old Patrick Lermitte, film industry hopeful who looks for work so he can leave his childhood bedroom by his next birthday; 25-year-old Ashlee Conery who moves back home after eight years living solo so she can live save up for her Master's degree.
But the real star of the film is arguably thirty something comedian Phil Hanley, who spins humour from the fact that he still lives in his parents' basement.
While moving overseas in my early 20s was pivotal to my independence, in some cultures generations live together in harmony by choice. Is it a help or hindrance for grownups to carry on living with their parents?
Generation Boomerang airs Thursday at 9 p.m. on CBC TV’s Doc Zone.
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