YOUNG PEOPLE ASK Am I Ready to Leave Home?

LONG before you're ready to leave home, you may begin to feel a desire for independence.  That feeling is normal. After all, God's original purpose was for youths to grow up and eventually leave their father and mother and establish their own family unit. (Genesis 2:23, 24; Mark 10:7, 8))  But does the fact that you crave more freedom mean that it's time to move out?  Possibly. How, though, can you know when you're truly ready to leave home? Consider three important questions you need to answer.  The first is. . .

What Are My Motives?

To help you sort out your motives for wanting to move out, look at the following  list. Number in order of importance the reasons why you want to leave. 

___Escape problems at home

___Gain more freedom

___Improve my status with my friends

___Help out a friend who needs a roommate

___Help with volunteer work in another location

___Gain experience 

___Ease the financial burden on my parents

___Other . . . . . . . . . . .

The reasons listed above are not necessarily bad. However, your motive for leaving home can have a big influence  on how happy you will be once you come out from under your parent's roof. For example, if you leave just to escape problems at home or to gain more freedom, you are likely in for a shock!

Danielle, who left home fora  while when she was 20, learned a lot from the experience.  She says:  "We all have to live with restrictions of some sort.  When you're on your own, your work schedule or lack of finances will restrict what you can do."  Carmen, who moved overseas for six months, says:  "I enjoyed the experience, but I often felt that I had no free time!  I had to keep up with the normal housework-cleaning the apartment, fixing things, pulling weeds, washing clothes,scrubbing floors, and so on. 

True, moving out may give you some increased freedom, and it might improve  your status with your friends.  But you are the one who will have to pay the bills, prepare the food, clean the house, and fill the hours when friends and family aren't around.  So don't allow others to rush you into a hasty decision.  (Proverbs 29:20) Even if you have valid reasons to leave home, you need more than good intentions. You need survival skills-which leads to the second question . . .

YOUNG PEOPLE ASK Am I Ready to Leave Home? -Am I Prepared?

From the Awake! magazine