The number of adult kids moving back home has been rising since 1980. It can be a difficult situation, so everyone needs to be clear about their responsibilities.

You Will Need

Clear living arrangements

Storage space

Adherence to rules

Maturity and responsibility

Chore chart

Independence

Productivity

Steps

STEP 1 Work out arrangements

Work out the spatial and financial arrangements ahead of time. Reduce tension by discussing mutual expectations, personal goals, and timelines.

STEP 2 Re-purpose a room

Re-purpose a room instead of encroaching on already utilized areas to accommodate everyone's need for personal space. Rent a storage space for your extra stuff instead of crowding your folks.

Be aware of an inclination to act like an adolescent again, expecting service from them that an adult should do for themselves.

STEP 3 Follow their rules

Consider that this is their home. Your guests have to follow the rules -- even curfews -- if that's what will make the arrangement work.

STEP 4 Pay back

Pay your parents back for their kindness by cleaning up after yourself, running errands, making repairs, mowing the lawn, and making dinner once in a while. Show maturity, independence, and a serious intention to find a place of your own as soon as possible.

STEP 5 Split up chores

Help create a chore chart to divide the labor among everyone. Essential duties like cleaning, laundry, and preparing meals take cooperation-- it's better to define responsibilities before resentments start.

STEP 6 Get out sometimes

Continue to have a social life. Hanging around the house all the time trying to entertain one another is asking for trouble. Absence makes the heart grow fonder.

STEP 7 Work, save, go

Maintain a busy, productive schedule. Find work, save money, and move on.

By 2008, 16.1 percent of the American population lived in multigenerational households, according to a Pew Research Center analysis of census data.