"Living with family as an adult is often framed as a "failure to launch," but navigating grief at home with my mom and younger sister helped me rethink growth. Living at home in my 20s wasn't easy at first, but after my dad died, living together became a lifeline that transformed my understanding of what adulthood truly means."
"I was desperate to begin my life. I thought adulthood started when you moved out; anything else felt like going backward. More than a loss of privacy, though, I was ashamed that I was still "waiting" to reach what I saw as the first big marker of adulthood, until circumstances forced me to reconsider these assumptions."
"After I finished college at 22, I moved in with my parents while I figured out what my long-term plan would be. I hoped this would be a very brief stint, impatient to be more "independent" and worried I was falling behind my peers, but unexpected life events would change everything about how I viewed this decision."
The author grew up believing adulthood required moving away from home and initially felt eager to leave. After college, she moved back with her parents, hoping it would be temporary while saving money. During the COVID-19 pandemic, she remained at home, feeling restless and ashamed of not achieving independence like her peers. Four years later, her father died unexpectedly. This tragedy transformed her perspective on living with family. Rather than viewing it as a setback, she recognized that staying home allowed her to spend additional years with her father and now provides crucial support for her mother and sister as they navigate grief together, fundamentally reshaping her understanding of adulthood and personal growth.
#grief-and-loss #adulthood-and-independence #family-relationships #perspective-shift #personal-growth
Read at Business Insider
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