Many teenagers have difficulty leaving home once they graduate high school. When you reached the magic age of eighteen, it was expected that you would move out of your parent’s home. You would either go to college, vocational school or get a job. This doesn’t seem to be the normal process today. It is not unusual for teens to live with their parents until their mid twenties.

This is because:
• It is more expensive to live on your own today than ever before
• There is no shame attached to living with your parents today as there was in the past
• Being independent is not as highly valued by teenagers as it was in past generations
• Parents are over protective of their children and this creates an increased dependency on parents by older adolescents
You can successfully launch your teenager by practicing the following when they are in grade school:
• Not driving him/her everywhere. Teach them to use public transportation or call others for rides
• Set strict limits on electronics(video games, instant messaging, television, texting)
• Insist that they play outside often in a spontaneous, non organized sports activities
• Teach them to think critically and not believe everything they hear or see in the media
• Inform them early on that when they reach the age of eighteen, they will be expected to leave home for college, work or vocational school.