1 in 4 N.J. adults 18-31 live at home

According to the US census Bureau, at least 1 in 4 N.J. adults, ages 18-31 live at home and 42% are 24 or older. Experts call it an "epidemic" of millennials leaching off their parents, but does a bad economy and student loan debt crisis justify the situation?

A new survey from Coldwell Banker says parents in the Northeast region are more lenient on this than anywhere else in the US on children moving back home.

But, according to the survey, more than two in three Americans believe that too many adults living at home with their parents are avoiding responsibility, and 65 percent believe too many young adults who move back home after college are overstaying their welcome.

Dr. Susan Newman, a Jersey-based social psychologist and author of the book “Under One Roof”, she says it’s almost expected for kids in N.J. to move back into their suburban homes after college. Read more >>

Extended families skyrocket due to poor economy

Almost a third of homeowners expect their grown children or aging parents to eventually move in with them, according to a survey by one of the nation's largest home builders.

About one in seven say they already have a "boomerang kid" — an adult child who moves back home — or elderly parent living under their roof.

The survey out Wednesday of more than 1,000 homeowners by PulteGroup, builder of everything from starter homes to upscale residences and Del Webb adult communities, shows that the rise in multi-generational households may continue.

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"It's an enormous change," says Stephen Melman, director of economic services at the National Association of Home Builders. "I remember when I was in college, no one wanted to be near their parents." Read more >>

Babies from the genetic pool of three people

While here in the United States we bicker about whether single-parent households can raise children as well as two-parent ones, in Britain, they’re way ahead of us. They’re up to three parents in the mix, bless their souls.

They don’t mean three parents under the same roof. That would be chaos, clearly. (The three wouldn’t be able to buy fitted sheets for a triple bed — plus their driveway probably would be too small.) They mean a kid made from the genetic goop of three people.

So, a kid with Mom’s eyes, Dad’s nose and the height of ... a generous DNA donor. An aunt or uncle? A neighbor? The pool guy? It’s a serious topic, with the serious goal of allowing parents who carry genetic defects to produce children who are free of those defects.

Genetically modifying an egg that carries a risk for muscular dystrophy, for example, would eliminate it in not only the baby, but in all future stock from that family line. A British committee, the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Authority, is now mulling whether to lift the ban on genetic modification. Read more >>

Number of stay-at-home dads DOUBLED in past decade

Nationwide, the number of stay-at-home fathers - while still relatively small - has more than doubled in the past decade. There were only about 81,000 Mr Moms in 2001, or about 1.6 per cent of all stay-at-home parents. By last year, the number had climbed to 176,000, or 3.4 per cent of stay-at-home fathers, according to U.S. Census data.

While the recession that has left millions of American men unemployed has undoubtedly had something to do with the trend, according to the results of a new study by Boston College, the rise may be more due to choices and evolving gender roles of parents.

And in addition to factors such as maximizing household income and avoiding expensive day care, more fathers than ever before relish the idea of playing a greater role in the rearing of their children. Read more >>