Generation doomerang: moving back in with mum and dad

Am I a ‘doomeranger’? If a new survey is to be believed then, yes, that’s exactly what I am.

In a twist on the phrase ‘boomerang generation’ – used to describe young people who, not long after leaving home, move back in with their parents – some PR whizz has coined ‘doomeranger’ to mean adults who return to the nest years after moving out. These so-called doomerangers (who make up 14 per cent of the population) often have families of their own and have been forced back in with mum and dad after a bad break-up or financial problems.

Thankfully I didn’t fit into either of those categories when, five years ago, I left London and moved back to the family home some 230 miles north. A combination of a career change and money tied up in property meant living with my dad was the perfect option: rent-free accommodation and a return to the familiar while I re-started my life.