How To Tell When It's Time To Leave Home

Step 1: Recognising when it's time to leave

The easiest way to tell if it's time to leave is when you find it more and more difficult to live with your parents. If you find you want to come home late, have partners over, leave things in a mess etc you know it's time to leave home.

Step 2: Knowledge is power

Research your case - explore places to live and potential jobs. If you're going into higher education they tend to have tailor made accommodation and students loans.

Alternatively you can buy or rent a place.

Step 3: Breaking the news to your parents

Try to do this gradually over time - dropping a few hints from time to time such as talking about other friends leaving home. Suggest they might like more time to themselves.

They might be pleased with the news - it being time for them to lead their own lives. If, however, they feel rejected suggest it's just an opportunity to try it out and you'd like them to visit you in your new home.

Step 4: Re-developing your relationship with your parents

Try to turn your parents into friends. Involve them in all the stages of the moving process.

You'll have the best of both worlds - a place of your own and a place to be able to go back to for support and advice.