I’m a 25-yr.-old single professional woman, and I make my living as a musician. I run my own music business, tour 45 weekends a year with my favorite band, and moonlight as a model. When I graduated from college, my parents expressed a wish that I would continue to live at home. My mother was lonely, as my brothers had recently left home, and I had just ended a very harmful long-term relationship and preferred the cheerful atmosphere of home with loved ones to a lonely single apartment or an unknown roommate.
In some ethnic backgrounds, such as my own, adult children living at home is not at all uncommon and is culturally acceptable. I have a large, close, and wonderfully wacky extended family. Several of my single uncles and cousins live with their elderly parents, and do a great deal for them. It makes it possible for the older generation to live independently, which makes them much happier, and the adult children who choose not to marry have companionship and responsibility for someone else (having no family of their own to care for).
While Mom insists I don’t pay rent right now, I try to help out as much as I can. (Sometimes that means being sneaky, like hiding money in Mom's purse!) I love to come home from work and know there’s light, warmth, love and people who care, and it’s fun to leave fresh hot baked surprises and a clean kitchen and bathroom for my parents when they come home from work. While we all work different hours and I travel a lot, we do our best to make quality time for each other on the rare times when we’re all home.
I’ve seen many single young adults, when they live alone, get self-centered and careless of others because they have no one to think about or care for but themselves. Living with family means I always have someone else to think about and do things for.
We tease each other, laugh together, support each other, help each other, do things together, love each other dearly, and only occasionally drive each other crazy. I have many other great friends of both genders, but my family is the absolute best. We’re very close, and they are the greatest friends a person could ever have. I may not always choose to be single, but while I am, I’m very happy living at home. I try my hardest to make it a good thing for my favorite people in the world as well. I’m so thankful that they have given me the opportunity to really get to know them as adults and friends rather than just parent/child. They are great people!! I’d be a lonely, sad woman without their love, support, encouragement, and inspiration—and if I have achieved any success, it’s through the grace of God and the support of my parents.
So many people in today’s world can’t understand why a young, healthy, sane, capable, and independent adult would choose to live at home with parents, viewing it as a “failure to launch”. On the contrary, my parents inspire and encourage me to live my dreams every day, and I want to always be the kind of daughter that makes their lives better too. I’d leave right away if it caused any trouble or tension for them, but they keep telling me how happy they are that I stay. I cover my own personal and business expenses and never want to be a burden on them. I just like their company. They are creative, active, interesting, visionary, and inspiring, and have hearts of gold besides. I love them with all my heart, and am proud to call them my parents—and my very best friends.
