Back At Home

Would you consider moving back in with your parents? These women – both in their thirties – did exactly that, and here’s what happened...

When I got together with Ron eight years ago, one of the things that clinched the deal was the fact that his two girls were already out of the nest. The last thing that I wanted was to find myself in the eye of a raging teenage-girl hormonal storm. My own son was about to move out of the home I’d bought after my divorce, and it meant that Ron – who would move in with me – and I had plenty of new-found ‘us time’ to adjust to.

So last year, when Ron asked how I’d feel if Lora, his younger daughter, now 31, came to live with us for an unspecified period, my first instinct was to pour myself a stiff gin and tonic. Despite having lived independently for a decade, Lora, a psychiatric nurse, found herself without work, uncertain of her career direction, and completely broke.

I didn’t doubt for a moment that I would say yes, because just as I would expect Ron not to object if my son Thomas had to move back in, I could hardly turn a blind eye to his daughter at a time of crisis. Lora needed an anchor and we could try to provide it.

Boomerang phenomenon

I was about to experience the so-called ‘boomerang phenomenon’, where cash strapped adult kids move back in. To say I was apprehensive is an understatement. I sat down with Ron to talk it through. Two rules, I said, must be adhered to. The common quarters, like the kitchen and living areas, would have to be kept pristine. I make no apology for being a cushion-plumper and someone who can’t sleep peacefully until greasy pans have been scrubbed, and all the surfaces wiped spotlessly clean.