A kidult is a person in their 20s who still lives at home with their parents.

This October I will turn 25 and I'm still living at my dad's house in Bargo.

What troubles me most is the reasons people give for my generation still living at home.

We are often referred to as lazy, unambitious, money-hungry and good for nothing.

Ouch.

Comments like that can be hard to swallow, especially when I feel so grateful that my parents have allowed me to stay home for so long.

Mum supported me through uni so I could get a degree and now dad has taken me in while I save for my own home.

I have to say that from personal experience it's not like kids my age don't want to move out: I can't wait.

The problem is that most of us are too clever to waste money on rent and can't afford to buy a house on our own.

Even now, when the market is low, housing prices are ridiculous compared to what our parents paid many years ago and it's hard to enter the market on your own.

Then you need to factor in the rising cost of petrol, groceries and interest rates.

Unlike our parents, today's 20-somethings aren't rushing to get married in their teens or early 20s because many of us have experienced being a child of divorce first-hand.

I think as long as kidults and their parents are on the same page when it comes to living arrangements then, really, there is no reason to put us down for staying at home.

Rather, our parents should be given a pat on the back for giving us the opportunity to save and get a good head start in life.

It's not easy buying your own home or starting a family, so to enter the adult world with a good house deposit and a healthy savings account could mean we won't ever have to resort to the baked beans or Maggi noodle diet.

I won't ever forget the love and support my parents have given me over the years and I know that no matter how much money I owe the bank, when it comes to mum and dad I'm forever in their debt.

mfenech@fairfaxmedia.com.au