There should also be a frank discussion about expectations around a job search if the child is moving home after a job loss. Daily questions about what you did that day aren't helpful — but it is fair for parents to get some sort of routine update about how a job search is going. Too much pestering could land you back in the realm of dramatic door slamming and eye rolls. No one wants to move back home just to experience a regression to a teenager dynamic with their parents.
One of the toughest challenges may be when elder millennials return to their parents’ home with a partner or little ones in tow. Despite it being the grandparents’ home, the parents of the children set the rules that should be respected by the grandparents. Adult children may elect to parent or discipline differently than they were raised. It’s not an indictment of the grandparents’ parenting style, and it’s critical the parents don’t feel attacked or judged because their children are doing things differently. Still, grandparents should be able to draw boundaries around where and how the children are allowed to interact with certain items in their home.
Ultimately, the most important consideration when parents and grown children cohabitate isn't financial — it’s mental health. A return to the nest may be in the financial best interest of the adult child — or the boomer parent, if the child provides rent or other support — but is everyone able to have a healthy, copacetic dynamic? Your gut may be the best guide as to whether your new roommate is worth it.
This article was provided by Bloomberg News.