BY KLAUS DÖRING
SO I SEE myself trying too – it’s difficult to write about any topic in our daily life without mentioning COVID-19. I observe it within my own family in the Philippines.
The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many young people to move back in with their parents. Their lives have been turned upside down, and they’ve had to come to grips with feelings of failure and guilt. Being forced to move back home can lead to depression for some young people.
Boomerang children, or boomerang kids, are terms used to describe the phenomenon of an adult child returning home to live with their parents for economic reasons after a period of independent living.
In my own family, the elderly tried to help as much as they could. The strong family ties are really amazing for me as a German expatriate living in the Philippines for good since 23 years now.
Some of my in-laws are staying abroad and trying to survive as much as they can.
Young people were hit particularly hard by the pandemic — especially those who had to move back in with their parents. For them the pandemic has meant a hit to their studies, more stress and a total loss of autonomy.
Homeschooling has students at their limits.
The situation varies across Europe i.e., when it comes to young adults choosing to live with their parents. That was the state of affairs before the pandemic as well: whereas early independence is the norm for Scandinavians. European Uion (EU) statistics show that a different culture exists in southern and southeastern Europe. Every region has its own financial and cultural conditions.
Still teaching many times I feel like a man giving a lecture in an empty room, filmed for broadcast online, standing next to a TV screen while interacting and communicating with my students is very difficult. Bad or no internet connections make it more difficult.
Various factors can have an impact on when and how young adults choose to set out on their own, from the job market, the familiar comforts of home and even tradition. But regardless of the circumstances, it’s clear that one group has suffered disproportionately during the pandemic.
Marginalized people, for instance those belonging to the LGBTIQ+ community, find it more difficult than others to cope with the situation at home. Similarly, lower income families living in small quarters have had to come to grips with the increased potential for conflict.
India i.e. fears ‘lost generation’ of students. Jennifer Caputo, a sociologist at the University of Chicago who has surveyed “boomerang kids” in the United States, found that those who were forced to return due to COVID, in particular, more frequently showed symptoms of depression.
Economic and social independence, as well as the simple fact of living in one’s own space, she voiced out, are seen as important steps for a successful transition to adulthood. If those goals aren’t achieved, she said, those affected may suffer from feelings of failure.
For some of my nieces and nephews, being back home wasn’t easy. It certainly was a stressful situation. The biggest challenge “was the simple fact that they’re my parents. In their eyes, you’ll always be their child, no matter how old you are.”
How to deal with this new situation: Accept that we’re all adults.
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Email: doringklaus@gmail.com or follow me on Facebook, Linkedin or Twitter or visit my www.germanexpatinthephilipppines.blogspot.com or www.klausdoringsclassicalmusic.blogspot.com./PN
