It has been popular both here
and abroad.
Posted on 04/09/2012 1:29:14 PM PDT by dragnet2
As the economy continues to take a toll on consumers' finances, a growing number of people are discovering that becoming roommates with mom and dad, or a 20- or 30-something son or daughter, helps to ease some of the financial pain in tough times.
As of 2010, 4.4 million U.S. homes held three generations or more under one roof, a 15% increase from 3.8 million households two years earlier, according to the latest data available from the Census Bureau.
For multi-generational households, there is typically a nice payoff. Not only do they save money, but they are better able to avoid financial hardship.
"It's such an advantage to have multiple wage earners in the same household when the economy is still struggling." ... the multi-generational housing trend is one he expects will continue.
Census reported that "doubled up households," those including at least one extra adult who is not enrolled in school and isn't a spouse or partner, grew 10.7% to 21.8 million households in spring 2011, up from 19.7 million households four years earlier.
Many of those homes included adult children who flew back to the nest after being unable to find work. The number of 25- to 34-year olds living with their folks jumped by more than 25% between 2007 and 2001, Census reported.
Builders take note. "The recession caused doubling up to save money -- and the story is still unfolding,"
The long-term impact, he said, is that more families will want bigger homes with more bedrooms to accommodate their extended families.
In fact, so many relatives are already moving in with one another that builders are starting to construct homes to accommodate them.
Home builder Toll Brothers has started incorporating multi-generational living arrangements directly into its designs... Previously, such accommodations were offered only as custom options.
(Excerpt) Read more at money.cnn.com ...
Not that long ago the lack of generations living in the same house was considered a bad social development, leading to a lack of connectedness and responsibility. Maybe there will be long term good out of this.
That is exactly the spin that is coming.
Understood, but the article and my point are, this tread is now growing rapidly.
Yep.
Anyone thinking this is some “Ghetto” thing, must be detached from reality and in fact are likely living on government retirement checks delivered to their mail box.
We lived for three years with my mother when we only had two small children and it worked out well - but I was glad to get out and run my own house my own way.
Now that she is older, it’s possible we’ll have her living with us some day. Would definitely want a separate apartment then, with mini-kitchen, her own bath and sitting room, which is getting into luxury territory not necessity.
And there are some of my children I would be happy to share a house with even when grown, and others who for their sake or our sake need to live on their own.
Ideal I think is to have the generations living close by, in the same town, but sharing a house can be good for some.
We lived for three years with my mother when we only had two small children and it worked out well - but I was glad to get out and run my own house my own way.
Now that she is older, it’s possible we’ll have her living with us some day. Would definitely want a separate apartment then, with mini-kitchen, her own bath and sitting room, which is getting into luxury territory not necessity.
And there are some of my children I would be happy to share a house with even when grown, and others who for their sake or our sake need to live on their own.
Ideal I think is to have the generations living close by, in the same town, but sharing a house can be good for some.
I grew up in a three generation home. Times were different then. The Grand pa was retired. Grand ma never worked. Both my parents worked and my sibling and I stayed home till out of college.
I am facing a three generation home now...oldest one retired, wife working, her daughter quit job, has no education, left drug dealing boyfirend and now is pregnant with nowhere to go but guess where.
Then again, it may be two households, one with a single older gentleman living alone.
Another story about the Obama White House and Granny “Freeloader” Robinson?
The Lord does work in mysterious ways.
“See, Obama is bringing America together!”
I think trying to put the repercussions of obama’s miserable policies in the best light possible is exactly the purpose of this article.
That said, our family is doing this, but we began planning for it about 10 years ago.
It’s working out great, but again, it’s not a forced situation for us and we all have our own spaces — kitchens/baths/parking/doors to the outside,etc.
LOL
The MSM spins this as a good thing- “family togetherness” and all that. In reality, the fewer options you have, the less freedom you have.
I might go so far as to suggest that we were a better country back when this was the norm.
My wife and I are on the brink of buying a big ol’ house that might have been built (in 1908) with this sort of arrangement in mind.
I agree that anyone who can afford to move out on their own should have the right to do so. After all, that's what I did, nor did I move into my in-laws’ when I married. Both my parents, on the other hand, grew up in multigenerational households before heading out on their own, and benefited from the mutual support found therein.
Not necessariy bad things, and arguably the path to a sort of prosperity...and sound practice in the best of times IMHO.
The real problem is that there are fewer opportunities for children to capitalize on and become fully independent and plot their own course in life.
Brings to mind a poignant conversation I overheard between an American and a gentleman from India who was working in the nursing home business.
The American guy asked him what nursing homes were like in India. After a long pause, he kind of rolled his eyes and said “We don’t have any. You must understand, in our culture there is a very strong obligation to take care of your parents, so you would never, ever see an Indian send them into a nursing home”.
The American gent was a bit taken aback by that answer, I could tell.
Future Present.
Absolutely...In fact the children, those in their 20-30s who are making 9-15 bucks an hour doing whatever, will never be able to raise a family, buy a home etc. Throw in the ever increasing prices of everything and they don't have a chance.
We may not like it, but it’s all about socialism and the breakdown of the family:
Back in 1900, fully 57% of adults ages 65 and older did so. But over the course of the 20th century, older adults grew steadily healthier and more prosperous as a result of a range of factors, including the enactment of social safety net programs such as Social Security and Medicare and improvements in medical care.
http://www.pewsocialtrends.org/2010/03/18/the-return-of-the-multi-generational-family-household/
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