When they finish their university studies and no longer obeying the home rules.

At 23, when they finish their college degree, ready to stand on their own legs, better ask their legs to move rather than stand.

In your case, I think it would be a fair time to encourage your child to make other living arrangements. If you do not think he is capable at this time, then it would also be fair of you to treat him as though you were his landlord (but still continue encouraging him to move out). If he is physically and mentally capable to move out on his own, then he should make an effort to do so.

Is there a reason why he is still home or feels you should take care of him? I know in some situations, the parents have a hard time kicking a child out for fear of an "empty nest" or the child isn't motivated, assuming that their parents' job IS to take care of them. Or perhaps the child is afraid of responsibility or being out on their own.

Personally, I feel that by the age of 22 or 23, a child should be out on their own or making a very good attempt to. By that age, a child has either been in and out of college and is on the path towards a career or they already have a good job and other goals in mind. Of course, that is only my opinion. There are many different situations where a child should definitely move out before that or remain in the home beyond 22 years of age.

It's time to either charge him rent yourself or tell him that he is an adult now and needs to act like one. If he doesn't want to pay you rent, then he needs to pay someone else for a place to live. I've been on my own since I was 20 and I've been out of my parents' house since I was 18. Granted, my parents have helped me along the way (while I was in college and classes kept me from being able to work enough to pay all of my bills and after I graduated and the recession hit hard, they did what they could to help me without breaking their own bank), but I've also done my part to attempt to live without their help. Get him on his way.

Of course there are many situations that a child may have to live at home well past the age of 24. Also there are cases where one would want their child to stay at home (farm life for instance). However, since you are asking this question, these probably do not apply to you.

The way I see it, part of a parents job is to prepare their children to live independently. We feed them, clothe them, keep a roof over their heads, and educate them, all to this end. Now when it comes to moving out and being on their own, sometimes, they need a little (or a lot) of motivation. This is still part of teaching them to live on their own. They can not continue to learn until they are pushed out of the nest. As to when or at what age this should happen? When they have finished their formal training and are capable of living on their own. Some kids at 15, some at 25, each case is different.

If you feel it is time for him to move on, help him out. This may mean forcing him to look for employment, explaining to him how to seek roommates, and helping him look for an apartment. I would suggest you don't let him just lay around the house. Let him know it is time for him to fly on his own. Let him know that moving out does not mean the end of your support. That you will be there to help him if you are able. There is a whole life out there and it is time for him to experience it!

Kick the child out the moment they can swing a sword or pull a trigger! Wait, you don't belong to a warrior culture do you? (Just kidding)

The answer here is fairly nuanced. Is the child in continuing education? Does he have job skills? Does he have a job? Can he make it on his own within the area with his skill set? Some cultures live several generations under one roof, and one day the US may become like that too if the economy does not recover soon. . . but I digress.

Let him know that you want to see him become more independent and move out. Does he want to leave and is just fearful, is he just broke, or does he want constant companionship? To address why he hasn't left you need to figure out what makes him want to stay.

If he needs to have someone around to not be lonely suggest moving in with a roomate (This is a great way to save money too!), if he is going to school there are often tons of people who are posting for roomates.

If he has no income this needs to be taken care of as I doubt you want him living on the street. See what he can do to improve his odds of getting a job, let him know he is your servant while he is under the roof & you expect a spotless house, with fresh coats of paint and a perfect yard give at least 30 hours of work. Tell him that for 10 hours a week he should be searching for a job. All of this experience may lead to skills that can be used for house painting, car repair, lawn work ect. . .

If he has a job it is time to charge him rent and he needs to buy his own food. Try to charge a fair price (the going rate of the area) this way he is better off on his own.

Me and my brothers all moved out around that age. But none of us went to college. Does the kid keep to him self a lot? Possibly depressed. Thats what we all went through. But I really wish my Dad would have put his foot down on this. You should too. You enable them to be lazy and not work when you let him live in your home. It doesn't matter if he's ready, he has to get ready!

I don't think it's the age, but rather the 'child'. My daughter is almost 22, and she still lives with me, but she has a job that pays 40,000 per year, and she's going to school. She's mostly been too busy to move out! LOL

But, she pays her own bills, buys mostly her own food, buys stuff for the house, and for the most part, helps out around the house. She's also great at running errands for me if she's out and about.

I have no problem with her continuing to live with me forever, as long as she keeps doing it like this.

My son, on the other hand, is 15, and I'm not sure he's going to be quite as responsible about things. I have told him when he's asked when I'm going to 'kick him out', that as long as he is working or going to school, paying his own way and not depending on me, AND he's not tearing up my house, he can live with me forever.

But it comes down to this: stop doing things for him!

At his age, he's old enough to do it. Set the ground rules, tell him what you expect, and tell him that he needs to own up to it. I think in one respect we push our little birds out of the next too fast, but in another respect, the point of them staying with us longer is to teach them the skills they need when they move out.

Start teaching him that by making him do it while living with you - and charging a little rent never hurt to teach him to get used to paying a monthly bill (even if you put it in a savings account that you later give to him).

Put your foot down, Mom!

Good luck with him.... one day, you'll look back on this and your handsome, successful son, and wonder why you ever worried!

i think you should welcome him with open arms, once he moves out he might not ever come back so what is your rush? if u want u can ask him to help out, but if he refuses you are his mother or father you should take care of him and one day he will take care of you. I think it is selfish to bring someone in this world and not take care of them, this is your responsibility you made him you deal with it =)

Thanks Mike !

I will tell my kids to move out as soon as they get their Associate Degree or B.A. Degree and get a job. This is exactly what my parents did to my brothers. Both of them moved out when they were 21 years old. I moved out, before it was time for me to move out. This was exactly one month after I got my first full time job. The funny part is that, we all moved less than 3 miles away from my parents and we used to see them everyday.

In my opinion, you need to talk to your 24 year old and depending on his personal situation make a decision. Tell him what do you expect from him. For example, my parents always made their expectations clear to us. Even my father, who was a very irresponsable man, used talk to us about our future and moving out.

My parents always told us that we needed to be independent and discover the world. When we were 8 or 9 years old, we knew, we needed to have our own place right after college. Just talk to your son.