Twentysomething, College-Educated And Moving Back In

Melissa Jenkins and her mother, Diana, in the room she is sharing with her younger sister. Jenkins said she doesn't have enough money to move out yet. (By Greg M. Cooper -- Associated Press)

"They might have good jobs, but they are also graduating with a lot of debt," Ivey said. "That can make it hard to meet basic expenses once they are out of college."

Many graduates are also reluctant to compromise on their expensive lifestyle, said Nicholas Aretakis, author of "No More Ramen: The 20-Something's Real World Survival Guide."

Such luxuries as cellphones, iPods and digital cable have become essential to them, so they go into shock when they enter the workforce and realize how much basics like health insurance and gas cost, Aretakis said. College dorms don't make that transition much easier with amenities like private bathrooms, house-cleaning services, state-of-the-art fitness centers and 24-hour cafeterias.

It's more comfortable for young adults to come home, said Frances Goldscheider, a demographer and co-author of "The Changing Transition to Adulthood: Leaving and Returning Home."

"The baby boom generation is much more egalitarian," Goldscheider said. "They don't tell their children, 'As long as you are under my roof, you have to do it my way,' the way their parents did to them."

Carolyn Carbery, 53, of St. Louis, said she made few rules when her son moved back after graduating from DePaul University last year to look for a job. It's been fun having him around, she said.

"When he moves, I'm going to be sad," she said. "I'm hoping he stays fairly close."

Jim Swope, 53, of Palm Harbor, Fla., said he gets along well with his son, who is graduating next month and moving home to find an engineering job.

"His mother is really looking forward to it," he said. "When the time comes and he is ready to move out, we'll certainly be supportive of that. You want to see them be successful."

Most returning grads move out within a couple of years, said Jeffrey Jensen Arnett, author of "Emerging Adulthood: The Winding Road From the Late Teens Through the Twenties."

Jenkins, who has been working as an account coordinator for Matter Communications for seven months, is moving into her own apartment soon.

"I'm not so sure if anyone plans on being 22, 23 years old living in your parents' house," she said. "But it's not a bad reality. I definitely am grateful for the time I had to set up money, be more secure and be more confident about being on my own."