The Full Nest: When Your Kids Never Leave Home

In the UK, nearly half of all 25-year-olds now live with their parents. For many families, the expected "empty nest" stage of life is not happening. This change brings both rewards and challenges. Serena, a 63-year-old social worker, knows this well. She and her husband have seven children. Three adult children still live at home: one finishing university, one saving to buy a home, and one recovering from a mental health crisis. Serena says a full house is "really good fun" and makes life richer. But it also means more chores and less privacy. She had to adjust to her children's partners staying overnight. She also missed a key life transition. "I’ve become old and I never really felt it," she explains. Many parents experience their children leaving home in their 40s or 50s. That change never came for her. "It’s odd," she says. This new normal is reshaping family life across the country.