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Also non-American, but I do spend a lot of time in the US and with American people. It seems very common for children to leave home after highschool, move reall

Also non-American, but I do spend a lot of time in the US and with American people. It seems very common for children to leave home after highschool, move really far away and basically go overnight from living with their parents to seeing them once or twice a year. As time moves on and they get busier, the children might not even see their folks every year. I think that pretty much by default, your life cycle in the US is to leave your house, start your own family, get a bigger place to raise your family, pay it off for a couple of decades, and once your own kids move out, go to Florida and hope your children will see you more than a couple of times before you die. Somber jokes aside, if you plan ahead you can live quite well in the US, even though there's no guarantee you will be in close contact with your family for more than 18 years. To me that's not a great tradeoff (also, medcial treatment costs a fortune) which is why I always go back to my family in my home country. Nothing is better than being with family.

dgfitz 4y ago
My cynic take is: you’ve never met my family. And When you’re a burden to your own I wonder if they feel like “nothing is better than being with family”
- magic_hamster 4y ago
  You're absolutely right. You need some luck being born into a family that shows support, affection and love, and does so in a positive way. There is no shortage of people who can't wait to get away from their family. With that said, even in the most tight knit families, some people don't see each other often because they're busy, live far away, can't afford the trip or don't have enough days off.
ip26 4y ago
People leave home because opportunity lies elsewhere. The US has changed pretty fast; the rust belt went from class ladder to sinking ship in a single generation, for example. Smallholder farms have been squeezed out in the last half century by commercial operations pushing down prices, sending many kids who were born on a farm to the city. There are communities all over which are lovely for empty nesters but dead ends for young adults.

dgfitz 4y ago

My cynic take is: you’ve never met my family. And When you’re a burden to your own I wonder if they feel like “nothing is better than being with family”

magic_hamster 4y ago
You're absolutely right. You need some luck being born into a family that shows support, affection and love, and does so in a positive way. There is no shortage of people who can't wait to get away from their family. With that said, even in the most tight knit families, some people don't see each other often because they're busy, live far away, can't afford the trip or don't have enough days off.

ip26 4y ago

People leave home because opportunity lies elsewhere. The US has changed pretty fast; the rust belt went from class ladder to sinking ship in a single generation, for example. Smallholder farms have been squeezed out in the last half century by commercial operations pushing down prices, sending many kids who were born on a farm to the city. There are communities all over which are lovely for empty nesters but dead ends for young adults.