Failure to Launch

They are referred to as boomerang kids, endless adolescence, perma kids or twixters. These are that large number of young adults, roughly in the age group of 18-25 years old, that are taking a long time to grow up, thus the term "failure to launch". This was the featured topic today on Lon Woodbury's Internet Talk Radio Show: "Parent Choices for Struggling Teens" on LATalkRadio, with guests: Doug Kim Brown, Founder and Director of Echo Springs Transition Study Center in Bonners Ferry, ID and Brandi Elliott, Marketing and Admissions for Northwest Academy in Naples, ID and co-owner of Powell and Elliott Collaborative.

"With a dropout rate of college students high in the first 15-16 months of college and the growing technology making unskilled jobs sparse, there is a lot of anxiety and fear in kids today" shared Doug. "To put it in a nutshell this is the age group at the highest risk for mental behaviors that include drug and alcohol abuse and suicide risks, which creates a double edged sword with the economy and recession." shared Brandi. All three agree, because of cuts in extracurricular activities, and minimized courses in life skills, along with many adults forgetting common sense and teaching 'cause and effect'; these young adults are ill equipped for the future.

Another source that is keeping these kids from launching is reality TV. "These kids are being brought up on reality TV and are being desensitized to 'real life'," shared Brandi. Also, Doug added that many of these young adults "prefer to live their lives online, where they can craft their identity or delete who they don't want to interact with."

Overall, it was agreed that down the line, "we are going to see bigger issues that will arise." And as Doug stated "it is a difficult world to figure out right now" and as one of his students shared "I don't want to grow up!"

To listen to the full interview go to Failure to Launch on LATalkRadio.

Lon Woodbury is the owner/founder of Woodbury Reports Inc. and www.strugglingteens.com. He has worked with families and struggling teens since 1984 and is the host of Parent choices for Struggling Teens on LATalkRadio Mondays at 12:00 Noon, Pacific Time, Channel One. Next week, Dec. 19th will feature Joel Horowitz, a parent of an ex-student in a Therapeutic Boarding School and Founder of Friends of Families providing scholarships to families with a placed student. Questions for Joel for this interview are welcome and should be sent to lonwoodbury@gmail.com.

Doug Kim-Brown is the Founder/Director of Echo Springs, a post-graduate program for 18 to 24 year old men and women looking for new direction. These young adults typically doubt their abilities and talents and are often stuck in self sabotaging patterns of isolation, fear, and lack a sense safety and success. They also are usually confused, challenging, and have not yet acquired the ability to practice the skills and behaviors that lead them to independence and clearer identity.

Brandi Elliott does Marketing for Northwest Academy, located in North Idaho. NWA is an accredited therapeutic boarding school serving older adolescents, between the ages of 16-18. As a part of Powell-Elliott Consulting, she also does consulting work for Friends of Families, which provides scholarships for families needing financial help in placing their child in a therapeutic school or program.