<b>boomerang </b>
Noun
1. a curved wooden missile of Australian Aborigines which can be made to return to the thrower
2. an action or statement that recoils on its originator
Verb
(of a plan) to recoil unexpectedly, harming its originator [Aboriginal]

They’ve changed American society in unexpected, unplanned—even unwanted—ways, but the massive impact of the Baby Boom generation, if only because of its colossal size, has been inevitable, a huge demographic boulder careening down a very steep middle-American hill.  In a single word:  unstoppable.

Boomers have also been the most intensively studied generation.  Their buying habits, their personal, often inexplicable fads and fashions, have been the primary drivers of our economic, social and religious institutions virtually since Baby Boomers began to arrive in our midst in the mid-1940s.

The “boomerangs” tag was coined nearly twenty years ago, when sociologists noticed that substantial numbers of Boomers, who had previously been dismissive of religion, seemed to be returning to church.  As one observer put it, “(Baby Boomers’ previous) have-it-your-way, salad-bar spirituality has been high on choices and options but low on spiritual commitment.”

These same spectators theorize that as this unique generation passes through midlife, it will inevitably consider its future prospects as its predecessors have done, and will wonder, “Who will care for me?”  “How will I be able to provide for myself and my family?”  “What happens if”—in typical Boomer fashion, ‘if,’ rather than ‘when’—“I get old?”

An answer to one of these questions presented itself almost immediately:  Baby Boomers discovered that they could provide for their family in part by welcoming their 20-something, often college-educated, children who found themselves jobless after graduation.  They were dubbed “Baby Boomerangs."  Many of their parents discovered that, if not managed or controlled effectively, the kids "recoiled" on their "originators"--the parents themselves.

Another form of "boomeranging" is the phenomenon of Boomers, who'd initially been entranced by the "bright lights" of the "big city," have become increasingly disenchanted by the declining quality of life in the metropolis, and are scurrying back to their original hometowns.  Social scientists, studying in-migration and out-migration trends in the nation's most populous areas, have termed this "return migration," but it's just another example of Baby Boomeranging.

Diane Crispell, executive editor of American Demographics, a magazine that reports consumer trends, believes that "Many more adults are coming home now because so many more Baby Boomers left in the first place than previous generations."  Dr. Daniel Ernsberger, a clinical psychologist in Queens, New York, puts it this way:  "Home represents safety, and people who will protect you because they know you."

The most recent--and perhaps the most economically and sociologically significant--instance of Baby Boomeranging is the phenomenon of aging Baby Boomers moving in with their adult children, thereby completing the boomerang circle.  In its current manifestation, the two generations have found that they can cut housing costs and swap child and elder care.

More than four million parents currently live with their adult children, according to recent Census Bureau data, up more than 70 percent from 2000.  Stephanie Coontz, a professor of history and family studies at Evergreen State College in Olympia, Washington, claims, "It's a return to much closer intergenerational ties than we saw through much of the 20th century."

The factors contributing to this trend are easy to identify:  the tight (and increasingly tightening) condition of inter-family finances; the convenience of sharing household chores among several adults; the ability to share housing costs; the availability of a live-in baby sitter in the form of a doting grandma or grandpa; and the desirability of delaying, or possibly avoiding,  <a title=Nursing homes at Great Places! rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href= >nursing homes</a> or <a title=Assisted living facilities at Great Places! rel="nofollow" onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/article_exit_link');" href= >assisted living facilities</a> care for the aging grandparent.

http://www. Leaderu.com/orgs/probe/docs/boomer.html

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