“HEY Mom, we want to move in with you and Dad”! Wow, what a total surprise. That was what we heard last year after our son got married. It was a lovely wedding. We hosted the gathering in our backyard. You can see pictures above and below from that lovely day. Shortly after the wedding the kids sat us down and discussed that they were thinking of living with us. They had several reasons, but mostly economical as well as caring for our grandson. Nowadays, young couples have a hard time making ends meet, even when they both have good jobs; but want to someday purchase a home. Reading an article in Psychology Today, they mentioned that for the first time since 1880, it has now become quite popular to live with your parents. Also a big reason is, parents seem to communicate and get a long better with their children. Many kids, especially women, still talk to their parents just about a few times a week, according to the statistics.
Back in the 60’s only about 20% of young adults lived with their parents. It was easier back then to move out and live on your own, even if you didn’t have a college education. Several of us in our 20’s were able to rent a house with a 2 car garage, and 3 bedrooms for only $350.00. It was easy to survive, and put food on the table. Plus, we all had the same goal pretty much. We knew that eventually we would be moving out and settling down, once we graduated, returned to college, or found that special someone.
These days, there is quite a decline in our kids getting married at a young age. Many are choosing to remain single. In the 60’s, 72% of Adults aged 18 and older were married. Today, just over half are! In a way, there is a certain envy with that type of mind set. Why hurry into marriage now a days. Take your time, and enjoy your youth, before you decide to settle down. There is a certain wisdom to that thought. Marriage can be quite beautiful, and raising kids is very rewarding. But, there is NO shame in not settling down right after High School or College.
From May through the entire summer, our house was in such an uproar. We had to remodel our basement, as well as make room for the family of three to share our empty nest we had for over 5 years. It seemed like such a daunting task at hand, but we all managed to get along with one another. My daughter in law’s father helped us again, with providing his labor to refinish our basement. Last year, it was his expertise, and hard work that helped us to landscape our entire backyard, and add a beautiful walkway. Everything demanded patience, time, and a willingness to forgo certain activities, so we could reap the fruits of our labor
Now our son, his wife and grandson are moved in. Everyone seems to be adapting quite well to the changes. We all made sure that everyone has their own private space when needed. Many different work schedules. There are no regular daytime working hours in this house. One works in Television, and usually doesn’t get home till around midnight. The other has several shift changes during the week from leaving the house by 6 AM, and then somedays closing and returning home by 2 AM or later. It never gets boring, but at the same time, you have to be careful when you can do laundry, clean the house, vacuum, etc. The blessing for all of us, is that our grandson is forever being cared for, and helped with his homework, kept an eye on, and always being FED!!!
Added to the mix of excitement is a beautiful Grand doggy. A gorgeous Pitbull lab mix. Autumn, provides a lot of entertainment, especially when the Jack Russell mix gets involved. Lots of running up and down the stairs, and barging into all the bedrooms that are occupied or not. You have to watch yourself when you are heading up the stairs, You never know when someone is following you upstairs; while your hands are full of clean clothes, and BAM! Suddenly you find yourself tipping over, or else something fury rubs against your legs, which adds quite an element of surprise. It’s all in a days life, living with 3 dogs. Not to mention an occasional barking, when someone passes by walking a dog, or children walking to school. Never a dull moment!
The best part of all this social interaction on a regular basis, is being able to see your son, and enjoy such a beautiful, incredible Daughter in law, and love on the Grandson! The best compliment of all came when least expected! “Mom, we’re so glad we have moved in with you and Dad, we love being here! So lets go and watch some more “Basket’s” shows on TV”! You find yourself smiling like a Cheshire cat. Knowing that these times won’t last forever, best enjoy each and every moment you have.
Many boxes are still ready to be unpacked, in our garage. Plus, much is waiting to be placed somewhere in the mix of things. The treasures that our family had accumulated for many years, had to be moved upstairs. Thought that wouldn’t happen, but to all our surprise, much had to go to make way for the newlyweds to move into the basement. You have to tell yourself it’s just STUFF, and stuff can be put away, given away, or moved to a storage unit if needed.
We’re all anticipating halcyon days ahead. If everyone is patient, loving, and also FORGIVING if needed, we should be able to live in a hopeful copacetic and somewhat of a stress free environment! Now time for a nice glass of Coors light, and an episode of “Baskets”!