9 Unfortunate Truths About Moving Back In With Your Parents In Your 30s
Moving back in with your parents as an adult is always tricky. But, moving back in with your parents when you've passed your 30-year mark? Well, that takes it to a whole new level. It's like coming home for the holidays and never leaving.
Gone are the days of walking around in your underwear, letting a dish “soak” for a day (or five) and quite frankly, any form of privacy. So for anyone currently living this fairytale, here are nine unfortunate truths you might relate to (because if we can't laugh about it, what else is there?):
1. The Roommate Truth
Picture yourself at the bar: A cute contender saddles up and starts chatting with you. Everything is great until he brings up the inevitable housing question, which undeniably leads to, “So, do you have roommates?” After choking on your drink, all you can do is answer with, “You could say that.”
2. The Investment Truth
Invest in earplugs, that is. Your parents' TV is often so loud that it sounds like you're attending a live taping of "The Voice." Earplug investment is a real thing, and so are multiple fans to drown out the level 3,984 deafening volume.
3. The Ninja Truth
In high school, it was all about sneaking out. In your 30s, it's about sneaking in late night to avoid waking up the parents, the three dogs that replaced you and your siblings and the impending follow-up questions.
4. The Committing Truth
Your life is a mountain of boxes in the basement because, you'll be leaving any day now, right? Why fully unpack when it's just temporary? Six months later, you'll probably still be going down to the basement to retrieve a pair of socks. But, that'll probably be the last time anyway, won't it?
5. The Job Truth
I'm talking about your job in the house. Having a special set of skills your parents can't handle — such as technology — will help you out. If you become their resident IT person, you will have happy landlords.
6. The Full Report Truth
Just because it's a decade (or more) later, your parents still want to know where you're going, whom you're going with, what time you'll be home and every last detail.
7. The Sleepover Truth
Let's be real: Your room is probably still decorated like it was from the last time you lived there. Whether it's glow-in-the-dark stars or posters of your teenage idols, bringing a guy home to experience the ambiance of your high school lair is bound to be awkward.
8. The Next Morning Truth
It's especially awkward when the walk of shame takes place through your parents' kitchen. If having your hookup sleep over wasn't awkward enough, how about the inevitable parent run-in the next morning? Fancy cooking a morning-after breakfast for four?
9. The Shopping Truth
We're all guilty of this one at some point. The only difference is that you usually did your weekly grocery shopping in your parent's pantry when you were home on college break. But who else keeps all your favorites stocked for free?
We're living in a time when returning to the homestead as a full-grown adult is increasingly becoming the new normal. All of your adult habits are now being critiqued. The varying reasons that put you in the situation of moving back are to blame. They may range from the financial sector involving job loss or student loan debt to relationship troubles. Or, if you're really a mess, it's a combination of them all.
Whatever the reason, it's definitely not your first choice. It's challenging to go from living on your own with complete independence to all of the sudden being thrust back into what feels like childhood. So, while the worried 3 am phone call asking about your whereabouts is frustrating, the bottom line is, our parents care. They push us to be our best, they help us get back on our feet and they still try to enforce a curfew.
So, thank your lucky glow-in-the-dark stars your parents didn't convert your old room into an exercise-music-sewing-room. If they did, at least they're willing to throw a bed in there for you. Moving back in with the parents may not always be ideal, but at least you know you can always come home.
