At what age did you leave home?

[1FinickyOne]

14... boarding school. 

[worgeordie]

I ran away from home aged 10..........but returned when I got hungry.

regards Worgeordie

[justin case]

people, if your mother/father were as.holes, they probably were selfish narcissists

 

and guess what disease is very strong among thai populace ... yes ... self centered money obsessed  narcissistic people

[Stocky]

Left home aged 18 to study for degree, and left the country aged 21 to work.

[Saltire]

I never left my parents home, they left me.

 

My brother and I were just into the first 2 months of University in Scotland and my dad got notice he was either going to be made redundant at age 50, or take up a post in their factory in Devon, England. They chose Devon leaving me and my brother to stay in the council house we'd lived in for my 18 years, on proviso that the council would re-house us from the 3 bed end terrace to a high flat. They never got round to moving us, sometimes the incompetence of government offices can be to your advantage. We had a great time at university and didn't feel bitter at all until later. It did bother me that when they left they took every stick of furniture from the house with the exception of our bedroom and left us to scrape up furniture from wherever we could get it.

 

Both passed now but they did well in Devon, but we only got together maybe once a year from then on so drifted apart which was sad as before we had a great family life, no issues at all apart form the usual teenage rebellions.

 

As for the Thai I think it is partly as the OP says, due to the attitude that the youth will hang around to look after you when you are elderly. I believe this is changing as Thailand changes. There are many examples in my village where parents have never seen their offspring in years whereas other come every Songkran etc. My g/f has a daughter now about 18 whom I have never met and she has not seen in 5 years since her father took her away to Sukhothai while my gf worked in Bangkok. She has no idea where she is and mentions her every day.   

[Lamkyong]

1 hour ago, chrisinth said:

 Similar age, 15 (just short of 16) but I ended up going to HMS Raleigh for my sins and training. My reasons were probably different than yours though as this was my out from the (possible) affiliation with the paramilitaries in Belfast in the early 70's. Still, it was the first step to a 23 year party, sponsored by the British taxpayer for which I am still grateful.............

 

When I left at the age of 40 I came to Thailand for a 6 month kick back (continuing to wash my socks and drink copious amounts of beer as taught) but that holiday has lasted until the present as I am still here some 22 years later.

 

Have to note that my parents were fully supportive of this as they recognized early that I was not cutout to attend university while there was a whole world out there to abuse.

what branch were you in ?   i was drafted to RALEIGH for six months (buffers party)  then off to HMS DECOY  the fighting 106  great days really

[GalaxyMan]

17, two weeks after graduating high school. Couldn't leave fast enough. Father was professional military, mother a social climber with delusions of grandeur, me a born hippie; oil & water. Got into the expected trouble with drugs and had to leave the country to get away from it, otherwise I knew that I would die. Nixon was president. Left the US with $100, a guitar, and a one-way ticket. Made my own way in life, never having the crutch of relying on anyone but me. Rather character building. Didn't have any communication with the family for 7 years. When I did, it was SSDD. Finally had to permanently sever the ties/contact some 20-30 years ago. There are limits. No regrets.

[Tropposurfer]

Are you asking physical or psychological age? I left at about age 8, then my body left at age 17.

[bert bloggs]

at 19. went to live in swinging London was very lucky lived in a fantastic bedsit ,owned by an actress , went to so many parties ,had a good job and met people who were later to become famous ,mixed with them for years. it was a time of free love ,and i gave it to any girl who wanted it ,and believe me there were lots.

when i look at kids today ,i thank God i was born then and not now

[GalaxyMan]

17 minutes ago, bert bloggs said:

when i look at kids today ,i thank God i was born then and not now

Amen!

[freebyrd]

Left home at 16, joined the army and saw the world. Reluctantly took voluntary redundancy after 20 years - PC overload. In the 26 years since, I've lived in Thailand, China, Vietnam, Philippines and have been in Cambodia these pasdt 13 years where I will be until the incinerator calls. 

 

Like BritManToo, no grand plans from here on in, buiding a house in the sticks. As we used to say in the mob, SIDITIO - seen it, done it, ticked it off.

[GarryP]

I came to Thailand when I was 19 and have been here ever since. Near enough 38 years now. No falling out with my parents. Just wanted something different.     

[BoganInParasite]

Just over 20. Family moved away for my father's work and I stayed because of mine.

[IssanMichael]

I was thrown out at 6 years old, did not realise at the time that my parents hated me because i was ugly, it only dawned on me years later when i remembered that my Mum used to feed me with a catapult and when she took me out in the pram she would pull it, also when my Dad used to tie pieces of liver round my neck and send me out to play with the dogs on the street. I was happy though and got through it all and became a solicitor.

[Thingamabob]

17. Never went back, but always maintained contact with my maternal grandparents.

[marcusarelus]

Left for University at 16.  Never came back.  Drafted after school USARV.  

[Mansell]

When I was thirteen I spent two weeks on a borrowed bike riding around England on my own staying in Youth Hostels.....one of the best experiences of my life. At fifteen I joined the Royal Navy and went to HMS St. Vincent for a years training by Portsmouth. Joined HMS Bermuda in Malta and cruised around the Med. Was in Sierra Leone in Africa for their independence from Britain. Was in the Falkland Islands, but well before the fighting. Eventually bought myself out of the Navy when I was twenty-five. Had a good time, but eventually had had enough and wanted some freedom. Travelled around surfing for a few years.....that was fun. Have now been to around ninety-five countries.....but still love travelling and life.

[malibukid]

17, after seeing Dr. No, it was off to Jamaica to find Ursula Andress.  parents finally gave in and signed off on a passport.

[bkk6060]

Physically yes.

Emotionally many do not.

Especially here.  Same patterns of wanting a mommy to take care of them. Coming here and hooking up with a girl after being married for 30 years.  Guys that cannot even do a load of laundry or cook a simple meal.

[rumak]

1 hour ago, IssanMichael said:

got through it all and became a solicitor.

i am pretty sure that all solicitors have been tortured in their early years.  Becoming a solicitor is how they

get their revenge on the world .   GOOGLE:  While 0.6 percent of the U.S. adult population are lawyers, 41 percent of the 113^thCongress are. 

[Captain 776]

17 yrs 4 months

[Deli]

17 and never looked back. Determined to leave home country which I did some years later.

[Mister T]

It seems like I have had similar events to a lot of others on here. Left home at 16 to take up an apprenticeship in the airforce, left after 20 years and a lot of travel. Had trades jobs for a couple of years and got invited back as a defence contractor. Kept coming back to asian countries whenever I could and finally decided to move to Thailand in October 1999, never looked back.

[Pilotman]

Age 16, left to join the Military, never regretted it.  I always contend that it was the Military that brought me up, not my parents, who after a couple of years, didn't really  recognise me as the same boy that had left home at 16 years old.  

[steven100]

I left home when I was 1 1/2 years old …..

I crawled out the front door and mum came and picked me up.

[Surasak]

I first left home at 3 years old just after 8am. I spent all day with some nice kids. Then my older sister came to take me home at 4pm. Spoil sport. Mother told me I fell out of the pram at about this time, and broke my collar bone. I think that's about the time she fell out with me. However, I left home at 16 after having spent 3 months with an aunt and uncle. My girlfriend and I set up home and we married at 19. Our son was born in 1964, Sadly my wife died in 1994. I have 2 grand kids and 5 great grand kids, 2 boys and 3 girls, the oldest boy now 13, the youngest girl 5. Love them to bits but don't get to see them so much now I live in Thailand. A good life here over the past 14years with a good family, I hope it continues for many years to come.  

[chrisinth]

9 hours ago, Lamkyong said:

what branch were you in ?   i was drafted to RALEIGH for six months (buffers party)  then off to HMS DECOY  the fighting 106  great days really

Junior seaman at the time, then went to Dryad for radar training (only did that for a year) and then Navigators Yeoman for the next 18 years. Mostly small ships, sea draft to sea draft the entire time. I was convinced they were trying to get rid of me when they sent me to the Hong Kong squadron (HMS Starling) for almost 3 years (that was my proper introduction to Thailand and the rest of SEA back in the 80s from there).

 

Cleaned a lot of socks and drank a lot of beer during that time.....................

[Siam Dingo]

15 and 5 months, not forced but didn't enjoy the home life. Had already been working after school and weekends for a couple of years, figured it would be better to experience life independently.  Signed into a 4 year apprenticeship that gave me a 20 year career until coming here. There was a lot of cuts burns and rip-offs along the way as a young fella. Restaurants not paying wages, landlords not giving receipts and giving the boot, tough to deal with as a young teenager. It's made me who I am today. Traveled and cooked around Australia and Canada, and traveled an amount of Asia. I'm still reasonably young and loving life, no major assets, other than a box-up pastry kitchen of my speciality tools and equipment. Not much to loose really!  

[lensta]

16 and couldn't get away quick enough

[dontoearth]

Today in the USA kids are living at home until about age 26.  50 years ago it was 18 and OUT.  I can't think of anyone of my friends that stayed at home past 18.  Today my nieces and nephews are quite content to stay on for the free room and board and food.  I fully expect with student debt and the need to stay on parent health insurance, phone plan, car insurance discount etc. that many US children may extend that to about 30 years of age now.  Times change.