I recently moved out of my parents' house and into an apartment.

And let me tell you, is it liberating!

Lots of college grads return home to the islands after school, like I did, and move right in with the 'rents. It's pretty great, really. You get your old room back, with all your stuff, a home-cooked meal every night and best of all -- it's FREE.

In Hawaii I think you find a greater percentage of young people living with their parents in the same house they grew up in than in other places. Convenience, as well as the high cost of renting your own place, are big factors.

Also, I think we can't disregard the fact that the way we in Hawaii view living with parents might be different from how some folks on the mainland view such a situation. Our culture here is dominated by Asian traditions and cultural values, one of which is the importance of family.

Now, I'm certainly not saying that people outside Hawaii don't think families are important, I simply think it's most culturally acceptable in the islands to find several generations living under one roof.

However, despite the great situation it may appear to be at first, there are some downsides to living with parents, starting first with the fact that many college grads have gotten used to having their own place or living with roommates of a similar age who don't necessarily question where you're headed at night and don't call the police if you don't come home.

In college, you can go out anytime you like, you can come home anytime you like. With parents, that's hardly the case.

When I came back from the mainland, it wasn't that I wanted to go out every night, meet up with strange people and stay out past 3 a.m. In fact, nowadays, I'm usually in bed by midnight.

It's the fact that IF I had ever wanted to, the freedom to do so simply wasn't there.

I also truly believe (and this is from experience) that many of us who return from school and move in with our parents are putting ourselves at a disadvantage later in life.

With the exception of now working a job instead of going to school, our lives if living with parents aren't that much different than when we were in high school. Sure, we may pay our own cell phone bills and gym memberships, but what about the water and electricity bills? What about shopping for groceries and knowing what to get?

When I moved out, I barely knew how to make more than ramen and rice (in a rice cooker). My roommate once ridiculed me for heating Ragu in the microwave.

Moving out helped me realize that living with my parents had really stunted my growth and maturity in many ways. Ultimately, it took packing up my stuff and getting my own place for me to understand that.

With rents skyrocketing, few young people I know feel they can afford to rent -- let alone own -- their own place. And with the option of living at home being so convenient, it's difficult for many people to convince themselves that living alone would be worth an extra thousand dollars minimum in expenditures per month.

It IS a lot of money.

But I would argue that even if monthly rent makes a significant dent in your paycheck, you ought to weigh that cost with the cost of your sanity, and the benefits of freedom, independence and real world experience.

At 23, I'm not a kid anymore. My total income doesn't consist of $10 allowance a week. It's worth taking a look at your finances and weighing those financial costs with the benefits.

And in the end, go back to those local family values and think also of the benefits to your relationship with your parents. Mom and Dad will want to take care of you as long as they are able. But when you still have the needs of a child, there is a tendency for parents to treat you as such, and that's not healthy for either you or them.

When your parents started giving you an allowance, they did it because they wanted you to learn. And I think my parents would be especially proud of all the learning I've done on my own in these last few months.