It's that time of year when kids are coming home from college, and some have even graduated and are coming home. This can lead to some interesting dynamics. Joining hosts Tati Amare and Jason Carr to discuss this are three parents: Kim Trent, a writer and Wayne State Regent, Kerry Doman, the founder of the local family website Little Guide Detroit, and our movie reviewer, Greg Russell.
First topic: When kids come home from college, if they graduated or otherwise, do they still have a curfew? Greg got the group going and said there should be a time that is courteous to the family. The other panelists tended to agree, with Kim saying "don't let the sun come up before you come home." Kerry chimed in saying the kids have to be respectful and tell the parents where they are going so they don't worry.
If a college age kid graduates and moves back home, should they be expected to contribute to living expenses? Greg said he used to have to contribute and he feels adult children today should too. Tati agreed, saying they won't have the same respect for things if they don't have any skin in the game. On the other hand, Kerry pointed out, it depends on why they are home. Sometimes the kids may be living at home because they haven't found a job yet, and they are looking. In general, the consensus was, if you can contribute, you should.
Would you allow your college-aged child to bring home a significant other to spend the night? The panelists were pretty unanimous in this decision with a resounding "no." Kim did admit it was a case by case basis, but at this point, she would not be comfortable with it. Greg said that he was not allowed to do it, and he did not allow his kids to do it either. There may, however, be a situation, like a holiday where the significant other is spending time with the family, in which case they can sleep in the basement while his child sleeps in their room.
We asked this same question of our viewers and got over 200 responses. Michelle Oliver came in and read a couple. Take a look at a few below:
What's the Buzz...
Posted by Live in the D on Sunday, May 5, 2019
The final question is: After the kids move out, how do you go about changing their room into something new? All the panelist agreed it was fine to change the room up, but they should always have a place to stay.
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