Do you remember those times when you were little when you would spend time with someone in their 20s or 30s and they seemed like a full-fledged adult? Little did you know that they were likely working on figuring everything out, too.
When you’re little, though, anyone over the age of 18 just seems like an adult. Societal expectations, or even the pressures we put on ourselves, give way to all of these ideas in our heads about how you need a house, a great job, and a partner and kids in order to have the perfect life. Well, that is just not what life looks like for a lot of adults. Life is a lot more complicated than that.
Whether the global health crisis led you to move back home with your parents or maybe you never left, there still seems to be a stigma around adult children who live with their parents, and it really isn’t fair.
Everyone’s living situation is different, and for a lot of individuals living with their parents, they often share the house expenses and live more so as roommates. And in the end, it’s really no one else’s business, especially if it works for the parties involved.
Funnily enough, there are actually so many good things involved in being an adult who lives with their parents. Let’s take a look at all the positives.
You will form a close friendship-type bond with your parents as an adult.
Being an adult who lives with your parents can actually be a really fun thing, because gone are the days of your parents telling you what to do (hopefully). This is the time when things are usually a lot more relaxed between the three of you and you can do things like get out a bottle of wine and binge the latest Netflix show together.
Or maybe your parents are really into gardening and you have the time to get outside with them and see their roses or vegetable garden in all its glory. And the really beautiful part about spending time with your parents as an adult is that it usually opens up the door to all kinds of different conversations. You’ll get to know your parents on a whole new level and learn their opinions and hear their lived experiences on various subjects that you wouldn’t have been privy to as a child.
Remember all those dinners you hated growing up? You can now become the chef for the family.
Think back to all those times when you were a kid and likely very much encouraged to try foods such as peas and Brussels sprouts and your young palette didn’t really take to those green vegetables.
It can be a fun thing to remember that, when you’re an adult living with your parents, you no longer have to automatically eat what they put on the table. In fact, you can work on growing or maintaining your culinary skills and do some of the cooking for the family yourself. That can include whipping up that curry recipe you’ve been wanting to try or showing your parents what a true medium-rare piece of steak is supposed to taste like.
Whatever gets cooking in the kitchen, though, you can simply have fun with it on your own or include your parents along the way.
You have the time and freedom to get your finances in order.
Whatever reason you’re with your parents and whether or not you’re contributing to the rent or mortgage, it’s extremely likely that you’re in the fortunate position to be able to put some money away.
And whether that means you’re able to pay off some debts that have accumulated over time or start saving to be able to afford a place of your own, it can be a true gift to be able to have the time to sort out your finances in a legitimate and thoughtful manner.
Your parents may be at the age when they need help and you have the privilege to help them.
This may be a hard concept for some to grasp, but as you get older, so do your parents. When you live with them, you may start to see that they don’t get around as well as they used to or maybe they have a new health concern that needs attention or care.
With your parents experiencing a period in their lives when they could use the extra help comes the opportunity to step up and give back to them in a variety of ways. Now, you don’t have to become their babysitter or servant by any means, but if they need a ride to the doctor’s or would feel better if you went out and shoveled after a big snowfall, those are small gestures that could go a long way. Plus, it’s an easy way to show your parents that you care.
