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When did 30 become the new 20?

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VANCOUVER (NEWS1130) – For an increasing number of Canadians, 30 is the new 20; a new documentary looks at the phenomenon of adult children who continue to live with their parents.

Maria LeRose co-directed “Generation Boomerang” and says it looks at a generation of Canadian kids coddled by their parents who grew up — but didn’t grow out — of the family home.
    
“We’ve taken care of so many of the difficulties in their lives, it’s hard to watch your children suffer no matter what age they are and we don’t want to let them suffer so we’re quite happy to have them living in our basement,” she explains.

It’s nothing new in Europe, where seven out of 10 young Italians still live at home and one out of three parents in the UK re-mortgage their homes to support their adult children.

“[But] in this country, the thing that’s different is that it’s not necessarily just the cultural tradition that’s keeping kids at home,” she adds. “What’s happening is that it’s creeping in to mainstream; it’s creeping into all kinds of families.”

Part of the problem is a youth unemployment rate of 14 per cent. LeRose admits her generation had it easier than today’s youth. “When I was their age, jobs were easier to find, you didn’t need to have the same amount of education.”

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