Your Parents Are Lucky to Have You
You watch them spending too much money on things they couldn’t afford if they were paying rent like they’re supposed to but aren’t because you’re still trying to figure out: A) How temporary is this? B) Do I want to be my kid’s landlord? C) Am I lucky my kids love me enough to move home? D) Am I a sucker?
If you are an adult living with your parents right now (I was up until about ten seconds ago, it’s cool) you should send them this essay by Jim Sollisch. Put a smiley face in the subject line (or, print it out and draw the smiley face). It’s short and sweet and a little bit funny and ends on a high note. It also comes out squarely in favor of adult kids not paying rent (bonus).
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Previously on The Billfold
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If I have kids who want to move home, they will pay rent and also renter’s insurance. And utilities.
I felt like this when my sister moved in with me, straight out of home. She was 18, I was 25. And she paid rent, but not much. I am glad that we lived together, it made us have a close adult relationship, but I was SO GLAD when she moved out again hoooo boy.