This is truly a sign of our current state.
I've watched and read all about the boomerang kids who bounce from school to job to home in an endless circle, but I'm now coming to the realization that this effects all of us - not just someone else.
For a long time I was smug in the knowledge that both our kids were well educated, had no debt, and both wanted to get out on their own as soon as they could. We encouraged it, and pretty much thought our job of parenting was done.
Kathryn was adventurous right from the get-go, and has traveled and lived all over the world - more travel in her 27 years than I've done all my life.
Dave was less so, but still has spent time in Europe and two separate stints in Korea.
But now they're both gone (or, more correctly, going). Kath was transferred to Brisbane Australia with her job in late 2012, and David will soon leave again for another year teaching English in Korea.
Both are affected by a common virus. We educated them in Canada, gave them the best we could, but then provided no ability for them to get ahead in the city they both called home. Vancouver is priced out of reach for both of them.
Dave's subsistence living, working two minimum wage jobs and paying all of it back for food and rent, is endemic in Vancouver. He's self deporting so he can get ahead again. So South Korea gets the benefit, we bared the cost.
Although Kathryn is better off, it's mostly because of Travis. He's got a great job in a demanding industry. But even with him, they could never dream about anything other than renting a flat in Vancouver. In Brisbane, they're already talking about owning some land and building on it.
For everyone that thinks that they should just buckle down and take those jobs, give your head a shake. Dave would work at 4:30am in the morning, after finishing his other job at 11:30pm at night - with bus rides in between. No time to look for anything better. How long would you last doing that, knowing that there's likely no light at the end of the tunnel (or, worse still, the light is a freight train)? His physical and mental health was in jeopardy.
These kids all followed the rules. Got good grades in school. Went on to post-secondary education. Work hard. Are conscientious.
And we have nothing for them. Not even a living wage.
I've watched and read all about the boomerang kids who bounce from school to job to home in an endless circle, but I'm now coming to the realization that this effects all of us - not just someone else.
For a long time I was smug in the knowledge that both our kids were well educated, had no debt, and both wanted to get out on their own as soon as they could. We encouraged it, and pretty much thought our job of parenting was done.
Kathryn was adventurous right from the get-go, and has traveled and lived all over the world - more travel in her 27 years than I've done all my life.
Dave was less so, but still has spent time in Europe and two separate stints in Korea.
But now they're both gone (or, more correctly, going). Kath was transferred to Brisbane Australia with her job in late 2012, and David will soon leave again for another year teaching English in Korea.
Both are affected by a common virus. We educated them in Canada, gave them the best we could, but then provided no ability for them to get ahead in the city they both called home. Vancouver is priced out of reach for both of them.
Dave's subsistence living, working two minimum wage jobs and paying all of it back for food and rent, is endemic in Vancouver. He's self deporting so he can get ahead again. So South Korea gets the benefit, we bared the cost.
Although Kathryn is better off, it's mostly because of Travis. He's got a great job in a demanding industry. But even with him, they could never dream about anything other than renting a flat in Vancouver. In Brisbane, they're already talking about owning some land and building on it.
For everyone that thinks that they should just buckle down and take those jobs, give your head a shake. Dave would work at 4:30am in the morning, after finishing his other job at 11:30pm at night - with bus rides in between. No time to look for anything better. How long would you last doing that, knowing that there's likely no light at the end of the tunnel (or, worse still, the light is a freight train)? His physical and mental health was in jeopardy.
These kids all followed the rules. Got good grades in school. Went on to post-secondary education. Work hard. Are conscientious.
And we have nothing for them. Not even a living wage.
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