Failure to Launch

Back at the end of March, Good Riddance’s services became the subject of piece in our local Vancouver newspaper under the rubric of Do It Better (www.theprovince.com/doitbetter). The reporter wanted to shoot a video that would showcase our de-cluttering process. Our clients, members of the Baby Boomer generation, looking forward to retirement and allegedly “empty nesters” agreed to become the case study for the report. I say allegedly because although their twenty-something children had left home, their belongings had not. In their son’s case, he had moved downtown, but his bedroom remained frozen in time, housing his clothing, music, sports equipment, books and memorabilia that he hadn’t the room for in his small apartment. Their daughter had likewise moved out on her own, only to return several years later with her craft supplies, collectables and wardrobe. When she came home, she deposited her bags and cartons in the finished basement, converting a would-be media room into warehouse space. We were brought in to organize the “wrecked’ room into a rec room.

Ever since the release of the comedy, “Failure to Launch”, much has been written about this phenomenon of the “boomerang” kids and the economic, social and psychological drivers responsible for the behavior. After a point, what parents don’t fantasize about reclaiming the house for their own purposes – converting bedrooms into home offices, gyms, and meditation or craft rooms? Is it not a reasonable expectation that when they do leave, that adult children take their possessions with them and not leave them with Mom or Dad for time immemorial? As professional organizers, we encounter many situations similar to the one described above. Parents often walk a thin line in making their adult children feel welcome while postponing their own plans for a post-child centric abode. We believe it is important for parents to address this with adult children. Expectations must be communicated, lest resentments build. Adult children need to understand that their family home should not be treated as a giant storage locker. Clutter is everyone’s responsibility, no matter what age. Use it or lose it!