As every family is unique and every individual different, there is no perfect age for your children to leave home. The time that they decide to live away from the nest could occur as soon as they leave school, or your children could end up staying at home far longer in a bid to save money.

How long your children end up living with you is something that must be decided between yourselves, and the decision might not necessarily be an easy one.

While there is a broad common conception that mothers are desperate to hang onto their children and will suffer empty nest syndrome when they go, this is not always the case. In fact, as an increasing number of young people are either forced to, or choose to, spend more years in the family home, many parents are now looking for ways to get their adult children out of the house. This can cause tension and strife within the family and see both parents and children feeling resentment.

The social trend which sees children staying at home further into adulthood is not a new one to other European countries; in fact it is very common in places such as Italy, but it has seen a huge growth in the UK in the last ten years. Factors that have contributed to this rise include financial constraints, the huge increase in mortgage deposits, student debts and a narrowing of the age gap that has made it easier for children to stay in the parental home, due to the change in relationships between generations.

Having your child stay at home for longer is not necessarily a bad thing however, and adult children are sometimes able to help pay their way. What's more, this can offer an opportunity for parents to see more of their children than they otherwise would. However, there has also been evidence to suggest that it can be a very expensive experience for parents who end up subsidising their grown-up children's income.

If you think that your children would like to stay at home for longer, then it's a good idea to set some ground rules and charge them at least nominal living costs to ensure the expense is evenly split. You can also look for other ways to reduce costs for the family, for example taking out multi car insurance or making sure that electricity and energy costs are kept low.

That way, parents and children are more likely to be able to avoid tension over family finances.