MEGAN SCOTT
asap

Either home has become all too sweet, or living in the "real world" has lost its allure.

Half of all college graduates planned to move back home at the end of the 2007 school year, according to the career search engine MonsterTrak. As they do, they become members of the burgeoning Boomerang Generation -- and earn the nickname "adultolescents."

AP Illustration/Peter Hamlin Mom, dad. Can I please have a Red Bull?

But going back home can present some sticky situations.

The old "As long as you live under my roof, you'll live by my rules" adage doesn't work well for a 20-something who has been out of the house for four years and is used to partying all night, never cleaning his room and having his girlfriend sleep over.

How can parents and boomerangers keep a happy home?

asap spoke to the experts for their take on how to live with the 'rents again.

RENT, CONTROL

First, if you are moving back home, should you pay rent?

You should contribute something to household expenses, says Harrington -- whether it's a small "rent," or picking up the grocery tab every now and then.

"I think that's really important for the adultolescent to feel like they are truly more of a peer and they are not just being taken care of," she says.

For the parents, Harrington says, charging rent sends the message that this a temporary living arrangement; in other words, don't get TOO comfortable.

And if you're flat broke, there are other ways to do your share, says Alexandra Robbins, author of "Conquering the Quarter-Life Crisis." She recommends doing little things: grocery shopping, cooking, or taking your sister to soccer practice.

THE CHORES!

Your mom wants your room spotless -- bed made, no dirty clothes on the floor, no dust bunnies in the corner. She's nagging you about cleaning the bathroom, putting your dishes in the dishwasher and taking out the trash.

What to do?

You and mom should have a conversation about expectations, says Harrington.

Not so much as mom saying "These are the rules, follow them or else," but more mom saying: "'OK, I know that you are older and you have a lot more responsibility,'" she says. "Here are some expectations I have for you, for all of us, to keep this space clean.' I recommend people set up a schedule for emptying the garbage, doing the dishes."

CURFEW

You're used to partying all night. Dad wants you in the house no later than 2 a.m.

"If they are past the age of 21 and have their own key, I believe they should have the freedom to come and go as long as it's not disruptive to the household," says Harrington.

What if dad insists? What if when you leave the house he wants to know where you're going, who you're going with and what time you are coming back?

Then you have no choice but to follow their rules, says Robbins.

It is, after all, their home.

"You have to understand that you're under your parents' roof, they are going to worry about where you are," she says. "You have to respect their feelings in that sense."

DATING

For men in their 20s, living at home no longer carries a stigma, says Robbins. (Her cutoff age is 33). Women never had to deal with that stigma.

If a woman lives at home, should her date come inside, introduce himself to her parents and promise to have her back home by a certain time?

"It depends," says Robbins. "You have to balance what your parents would appreciate and what your date would appreciate. It's a respectful gesture to have them meet someone you are dating."

One thing is certain: SOs (significant others) should not be spending the night, says Harrington. Thin walls, parents bumping into your boyfriend coming out of the bathroom at 7 a.m. doesn't go over so well.

"The hassle factor of that could be the very thing that leads the young person to say, 'Mom, dad, time for me to get my own place,'" she says.

THE DEPARTURE DATE

Should you tell mom and dad how long you plan to stay?

Harrington thinks so. She says a timeline helps reassure parents that the arrangement is temporary. Parents can also ask their children what they can do help in the meantime.

"Because there's going to come a time when it is clear to some of the family members that this adultolescent has got to go," she says.

But for most 20-somethings, there is no way to how long they're going to be there, says Robbins. That's why she stresses the importance of having a meeting early on.

"You should say, 'I hope to live here for awhile while I get my feet on the ground,'" she says. "'These are the careers I'm thinking about.' Just so your parents have some sense of your plan."

Click here to see an asap story on Furman's book: Boomerang Nation

Megan Scott is an asap reporter based in (her own place in) New York.