Debbie Living with your parents is not for the faint of heart.
However, even before the world was hit with a global pandemic, which we’re still dealing with, intergenerational homes were becoming more common as a way of saving money on part of the millennials or having to take care of their aging parents.
As of now, 52% of young adults in the U.S. are living with their parents. However, how many have learned the right way to deal with their parents now that they’re not kids? Well, not many.
Keep on reading to learn all about the right ways and strategies that will smooth over the friction of living with your parents.
Living With Your Parents 101: Respect and Demand Personal Space
Alright, let’s start with the foundational steps that need to be taken to keep things respectful, light-hearted, and murder-free.
We’re assuming that you have your own private space within your parents’ house, and they have theirs. These will be your little habitats, where you can decompress and breathe a little easier when the going gets tough.
You’ll have to respect your parents’ personal spaces, and they have to respect yours. It’ll be a physical representation of your relationship. It’s different now, considering that you’re an adult, and you’ll be expected to treat them less like guardians and more like roommates.
Talk and Set up Boundaries
Speaking of respect, you’ll want to discuss boundaries when it comes to your relationship.
This applies to whether you’re moving in with your parents due to COVID-19 lockdowns, or it’s because your parents are aging, and need some extra help and care. If it’s the latter, you’ll want to check out some tips about talking about assisted living, and whether that would be a better option for them.
Regardless, you’ll want to talk about boundaries, not only spatial ones but also personal ones like not asking where you’re going and other questions that are more common between teenagers and their parents.
These sort of habits can put significant strain on parents/adult-child relationships.
Chat About House Responsibilities
You won’t be living in a hotel with room service, so you’ll have to contribute to the house’s upkeep. It’s part-and-parcel of the adult respect agreement between you and your parents.
Start treating your living situation the same way you would treat roommates, so you’ll want to figure out which chores need to be done when and by who and stick to the schedule.
De-Stressing Your Living Situation
Neither you nor your parents should remain uncomfortable with your living situation due to misunderstandings or lack of communication.
Living with your parents shouldn’t be a chore either, so we hope our little guide has shed some light on the different strategies you can take to ensure some peaceful time at home, as well as enjoy a lovely sense of community and belonging.
Yet, there’s still so much more for you to learn. Make sure to check out our “healthy living” and “healthy child” section for more tips and all the information that you could need.
