Action Step #3: Give them space – especially if they move back home
No sooner do we adjust to life in an empty nest than those suckers move back home! This can be a blessing (we get bonus time together, as adults) and a challenge (“I forgot how loud he is when he’s screaming at his X-box”).
If your kids are “re-nesting,” take comfort in knowing you’re not alone. Even among millennials (who are now age 27-42), one in four actually lived with their parents in 2022! (That said, half of that group had moved in during the pandemic, mostly either for financial reasons or to care for their parents.)
Regardless of their age, we need to know each other’s sensitivities. One 23-year-old woman who had moved back home said one of her biggest challenges is “having to let my parents know about my entire schedule.” While we parents might think we’re having conversation or just checking in, our adult kids might feel a bit smothered.
And this is the case no matter where they live. One 23-year-old man who lived independently said he wishes his parents wouldn’t use the phone-finding feature to track his location because “it feels a bit intrusive.” (Um, do you think?)
A 24-year-old man put it this way: “We still want to be around you, just not all the time.”
In other words: space. Plenty of it.
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