It's pretty much opposite of the American thing. Many other countries have multi-generational households, while most Americans leave home at 18 and retire to a nursing home.
I never understood this aspect of US culture. Why is it considered bad to live with your parents? Why isn't it considered inhumane to leave your parents in nursing homes? In my country, culturally speaking, it is considered a sin to leave your parents on their own under any circumstances (although that is changing). I can't imagine any of that in my scenario. Neither as a parent nor as a son.
Living with your parents is considered bad because it's perceived as a failure. Like you weren't able to make it on your own. In my subculture putting your parents in a nursing home is a shameful thing. People wouldn't normally tell you that unless it's because they need 24/7 care and even then it's still iffy
I currently live at home because it just makes sense financially for all of us. I help with bills and other expenses which allows my parents to not have to spend every dime my mom makes or my dad gets from SSA. and in turn I'm not paying 2k a year for a 1 bed apartment and eating ramen every night.
But when I mention it to people, they ask what went wrong for me or why I'm afraid to live alone. I'm not, I'd LOVE to. I just cannot afford to do that.
Just to play devil's advocate a bit. The main reason most people, including me, left home at 18 and never returned is for the benefit of total freedom.
I think it's fairly common to 'mask' your true personality a bit when you're with family. It's especially real when you're something your conservative family doesn't fully support like being gay for myself.
Even if I wasn't gay though I would never want to live with my family again lol. I love having my own apartment with my partner and have loved it when I was single too. It's just such a freeing feeling to do and act like however you want in your own home. I come home, immediately take off my pants, and dance around in my underwear to music, get high and eat yummy food, watch "embarrassing" shows.
Having the freedom to do whatever I want is something I'd have to give up living under someone else's roof.
There isn't a need to play devil's advocate for what I said??
Your experience is totally a valid path for what you felt you needed but I'm talking about the general stigma I get when I talk about choosing to stay home to help in various ways. To which you're kinda playing into with your need to play a devil's advocate lol. I'm not saying people shouldn't move out based on my experience, I'm simply sharing mine and why I feel it needs to be more normalize so it's just not looked down upon.
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u/RootyPooster Feb 27 '25
It's pretty much opposite of the American thing. Many other countries have multi-generational households, while most Americans leave home at 18 and retire to a nursing home.