Boomerang Kids 2020

This book chronicles a qualitative study of 23 empty nest mothers from diverse socioeconomic backgrounds and their experiences raising "boomerang kids," or children who leave home to make it on their own but fail. The stories are real and graphic yet are unified by a common thread of love and caring. Tough love is not always easy and mothers need to learn where to draw the line between generosity and abuse. As the goal of every parent is to prepare their children for a successful launch into self-sufficiency, these mothers describe what finally worked to get their kids to leave the comforts of home and become self-sustaining adults. This study describes the range of experiences from a widowed White upper class mother of five to a unmarried Black mother of four with three different fathers to a gay Asian couple with three adopted children. Regardless of household exigencies these mothers show undying love for the kids and a willingness to sacrifice their happiness for that of their children - sometimes with devastating results.