Passage 2 Parents Urged to Show Jobless Graduates Tough Love
“啃老族”家长指南 《卫报》

[00:01]With graduate unemployment at its highest for more than a decade,
[00:06]the lure of the parental nest has never been stronger.
[00:11]But mollycoddling mothers and fathers should resist the urge
[00:16]to make home too comfortable for their recently qualified offspring,
[00:21]according to government guidance.
[00:24]A manual published today instructs parents to show a bit of "tough love"
[00:30]as they try to encourage their children to get a job.
[00:35]That means making them do their own washing and ironing,
[00:40]emptying the fridge of student-friendly snacks and cutting back on handouts.
[00:46]The guide, produced by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills,
[00:52]also has blunt advice for those with lofty ambitions.
[00:57]"Yes, some people will make it as actors and scriptwriters,"
[01:02]it says, "but many just waste away the years."
[01:06]"Do" and "Don't" lists aim to help anxious parents "motivate not alienate".
[01:14]Dos include allowing your child to relax once they graduate -
[01:20]though a few weeks with their feet up should not slide into a few months.
[01:26]Parents should also arrange a regular update of progress.
[01:31]On the don't list is perhaps the worst sin: nagging.
[01:36]"It might work in some circumstances,
[01:40]but most young people want a job and know there is a lot of competition,
[01:47]" the guide says. "Nagging can make young people feel more stressed
[01:53]and makes failure to get a job worse".
[01:57]There are times when it doesn't pay to be "too supportive". "Sometimes,
[02:03]it really is necessary to show tough love," says the guide.
[02:09]"If you are making life too comfortable at home,
[02:14]why would they get a job? If you are providing free board and lodgings,
[02:20]a well-stocked fridge, washing and ironing done, plus an allowance,
[02:27]there's not much drive there. So cut back to help increase their motivation."
[02:33]The guide may be well-timed. Earlier this month,
[02:41]the Office for National Statistics revealed more people in their 20s or 30s
[02:46]were living with their parents than at any time in the past 20 years.
[02:53]Around 25% of men and 13% of women aged 25 to 29 still live with their parents.
[03:03]Although one in three "adult-kids" said they couldn't afford to buy
[03:08]or rent their own home, others were choosing to become "kippers" -
[03:14]kids in parents' pockets.
[03:17]The authors of the ONS report dubbed graduates
[03:22]who returned home to live with their parents "boomerang children",
[03:27]saying their numbers were being swelled by growing student debt.
[03:32]Last month research revealed graduate unemployment rose by 44% in 12 months
[03:41]and is now at its highest level for 12 years.