You still live with your family, loser. These returning masses, however, might empathize with my occasional embarrassment around one aspect of this new norm: dating. I once referred to my mom by her first nameโI usually just call her Momโwhen she walked in on a FaceTime date.
My shame is not ungrounded. Yet even the most self-sufficient person comes with a context: friends, family, values, history. Long before the pandemic, young adults were already returning to the nest at increasing rates. By April , more than half of people ages 18 to 29 lived with one or both of their parents. Read: The new boomerang kids could change American views of living at home.
I understand why the prospect of dating someone who lives at their family home can be unappealingโa lack of privacy creates real logistical downsides. This can make casual hookups near impossible. But a common viewpoint that I heard about people whose roommates raised them is that their home life reflects stunted development and a lack of financial stability.
Others mentioned exes who regressed to their high-school personalities when they moved home. Meanwhile, people who have lived at their family home as adults feared adding the weightiness of parental ties to a nascent relationship. He moved back during the pandemic and started dating a childhood friend.
The bad breakup was particularly tricky: His parents saw it all happen in real time, and were themselves close to his ex, having known her for decades. I have always tried to avoid introducing new men to my parents, believing it was something for serious partners only.
