Relationships

Learn to Set Boundaries

Moving home can be a time when a young adult feels they have failed at life, or it could be a welcome breather from heavy responsibilities. Some people moving back in with their family may find it an onerous chore because they will need to resume working in the family business. It might have been a fate they worked hard to avoid, and now they could feel trapped into a former lifestyle. Whatever reason they have for moving back home, both parents and the young adult will have to learn to set boundaries if they want to cohabit the same space in peace.

Even a few months of living away from home and family can create big changes in how a young adult looks at life and their relationships. They might suddenly see their own parents have aged more than they believed possible. Looking at the life they formerly had at home, they could see a return as stifling. Being able to sit down and discuss boundaries and responsibilities with their own parents could make the entire situation easier. Knowing what they are willing to accept in terms of how their family treats them will begin the process of integration, and it will help them maintain the feeling of being an adult even as they reside in their former childhood home.

Parents may not see a very different outlook when their children move back home soon after they have left, and it can cause issues. They may feel their child is still too young to handle adult responsibilities, or they could resent the need to ask them to return to the family business. Talking over their own fears, issues, and even their dreams with their returning children could be helpful. It will also be a good time to remind their children that they are the parents, the home is still theirs, and their rules need to be followed.

Moving home has many negative connotations, but the experience can be a positive one for all involved. Coming home due to lack of economic independence does not always mean failure on the part of the young adult, and parent needing a helping hand with business should feel the same. Living together again under one roof could be a better experience than before, but that will only occur if all concerned work out their own set of new rules and boundaries.