Why Living with Your Parents Could Be the Secret to Unlocking True Adult Success—Prepare to Rethink Everything!

Michael has moved back into his parents’ house in DeKalb, Illinois on two separate occasions.

The first was in 2012. His cost of living had skyrocketed and his father received a diagnosis of early-onset dementia. While living at home and helping out his mom and dad, Michael earned a degree in education and secured a stable job teaching at a middle school. He and his wife saved up to buy a house, and moved out in 2018.

The second time was in 2025, after the pandemic, a separation from his wife, and his mom’s death. Financial strain and grief led Michael to move back home again, a decision that has enabled him to continue to support his family financially and amicably co-parent his six-year-old daughter.

Despite everything, Michael says he sees his current living situation as a bright spot.

“I was always close to my dad. But now I’m able to support him,” he says. They lean on each other. Michael’s father, a retired therapist, usually has dinner ready by the time Michael gets home from work. When Michael doesn’t have to grade papers, they talk about their days, his daughter, and how the entire family is coping with the significant changes. “He’s able to support me in this transition, and I’m grateful for that.”

When he moved back into his family’s multi-generational home Suffield, Connecticut, in 2021, Zach says he got lucky.

He had to move because the restaurant and construction industries were unstable during the pandemic. But the change meant that he could spend quality time with his grandmother before she died last year, shortly after her 100th birthday.

One of the many pieces of wisdom she shared with Zach was the importance of community. “Her dad died when she was really young and people in the town brought her up,” says Zach. Nearly five years into living with his mom, uncle, brother, and girlfriend, Zach is carrying on his grandmother’s wisdom.

He manages a deli full-time, and contributes by doing handy work to maintain their home. Everyone takes turns with groceries and cooking, including many recipes from his grandmother. As economic survival becomes more difficult for many, Zach says he hopes that people will start to let go of any shame about leaning on others. “You can’t build generational wealth without generational wisdom or generational support.”

Moving back to his parents’ Brooklyn home in 2020 was a sensible decision that Lawson says still made him feel self-critical. “I could have done more to be more independent,” he says. Instead of choosing a reliable career track, the 36-year-old pursued professional baseball after high school, and then stand-up comedy after that. He supported himself as a dog-walker and lived with roommates in Queens, close to Chinese and Puerto Rican family members.

When the COVID shutdown hit, Lawson opted to shelter-in-place with his parents in Brooklyn. It allowed him to help take care of his aging grandmother and a nearby aunt who lives with disabilities.

Lawson says the move gave him the breathing room to pivot from stand-up to podcasting, where he was able to create a modest income stream. While he considers moving back to Queens, the presence of the U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement in U.S. cities presents another challenge. Lawson coaches his mom and dad through what to do if agents knock on the door, but he feels safer protecting them under the same roof. That said, he’s conflicted about his independence. “I can’t let the world being bad control my life.”