Each morning, as Patty leaves for work, Luke begins his day by grocery shopping, cleaning the pool, and fixing fans and lights around the house. In the evening, he cooks steak before his mother returns home. "I always dreamed of being a stay-at-home son, avoiding work pressure," he said.
Luke is engaged in unpaid, low-pressure work, which is becoming increasingly common among some Gen Z and Millennial men.
Patty, Luke's mother, refers to her son as a "trad-son" (traditional son), a term for young men who take on household roles instead of working outside the home. This mirrors the role of traditional women who forgo office jobs to stay home, care for their families, and cook.
Luke quit his solar energy job in Houston, which paid USD 170,000 annually, to move to Las Vegas, Nevada, and live with his mother. He does not pay rent; instead, Luke assists his mother with household chores.
"This has been my dream job since childhood," he said. He recalled that as a child, when his teacher asked, "What do you want to be when you grow up?", Luke always responded that he just wanted to stay home with his mother.
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Luke Parkhurst cooks dinner for his mother in Nevada, US. Photo: NY Post |
A report from the ADP Research Institute showed private sector employment in the US decreased by 32,000 in September. The latest data from the US Census Bureau indicates that about one-third of adults aged 18-34 currently live with their parents. A Pew Research survey in April also revealed that men in this age group are more likely to live with their parents than women, partly due to rising unemployment rates.
Kathryn Smerling, a family therapist in Upper East Side, believes the trad-son trend is not due to gentle parenting. She considers it a form of indulging children rather than strict upbringing.
She suggests that adults living with parents stems from an unstable society, precarious job market, inflation, and housing crises. Men in their 20s and 30s often face insecurity and have not yet truly found themselves.
"Living at home with parents provides some individuals with a sense of security in a conflict-ridden world," she stated. Smerling believes the trad-son trend can improve family relationships, offer emotional support to young men, and assist their parents with household tasks.
However, she cautions that this lifestyle should be a temporary phase, not a long-term plan, and that young people need to be instilled with lasting life values.
Patty is a mother of four: a daughter who became a millionaire at 20, a son who manages a high-end restaurant, another son who is a pilot, and Luke, her youngest, who currently works as a stay-at-home son.
"I feel relieved to have someone help with groceries and taking out the trash," she said. She does not mind paying all the bills and considers Luke very capable around the house.
Luke has no intention of abandoning the trad-son lifestyle but acknowledges that if he wants a relationship, he cannot live with his mother.
Conversely, Abdullah Abbasi, 24, from Chicago, feels no shame. Four years ago, he quit his job and took on family responsibilities, including driving his father, sister, and nephew to appointments and cooking.
Abdullah does not envy or feel pressured by peers working 80 hours a week. "I do not have to worry about paying bills or working hard, and I can focus on what makes me happy," he stated.
Ngoc Ngan (According to NY Post)
