Living at home doesn’t automatically signal immaturity or failure.

Economic realities are reshaping traditional milestones of adulthood.

Independence looks different across families and cultures.

Healthy adulthood is defined by responsibility, not where you live.

If you’ve spent any time on social media recently, you’ve probably heard the term “stay-at-home sons” used as a joke or an insult, or maybe almost as a badge of honor.

This trend is about adult men who still live with their parents, often while working, going to school, or figuring out their next step. Some who see the trend may laugh at it, thinking it to be ridiculous, but what this trend is really poking at is the idea that adulthood doesn’t mean what it used to mean. It simply looks different now.

For generations, moving out was viewed as one of the clearest markers of adulthood. Now, people are questioning that idea.

The meaning of independence is changing

Developmental psychologists have long described the years between the late teens and early 30s as emerging adulthood, which is defined by the gradual process of building an independent adult life. Living with parents doesn’t automatically interrupt that process.

According to the Pew Research Center, 18 percent of........

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