The idea of children leaving the nest at 18 is like, sooooo 1960s, man.
Two years ago DD9 was having anxiety about leaving home, which was probably made more acute by the fact that we were openly discussing a grade skip, which would push her out a year early. We assured her she's welcome as long as she likes. We discussed how it's common for kids to live at home while attending university, and we'd probably prefer it due to costs. We discussed how adults have transitioned to the working world and still lived at home until they were comfortable with leaving, and how it benefits all parties. DD then decided that she could still move into a house on our street after that, as there were some available.
Thus assured, she's currently planning on how to shave another year off of high school.
