What makes their relationships so strong? They see each other everyday or almost every day, which might be the key to stronger relationships between parents and grown children. When children move out, they may only come visit once in a while or on holidays. But when they live under the same roof, they look after each other and share interest in each other’s everyday lives, which makes a difference.
When we take a look at data from 20 or 30 years ago, in 1986 about half of parents report to have spoken with their grown child in the last week, in 1988 about less than half. Recent data shows that nearly 90% of parents give advice to their kids and they talk often.
Perhaps it’s the ease of communication through cell phones and social media or perhaps it’s that parents are more open to talking to their children about everyday things that are happening in their lives.
With Latino children, we see a lot of aging parents that going through difficult situations where they can’t afford the cost of living, so their grown children continue to live at home to help them financially. Many times when a parent becomes ill, they too prefer to move back in with their parents or invite them to their home so they won’t be sent to a nursing home where they will be lonely.
The good news is that the relationships between grown children and their parents are getting stronger. So what if grown children are living with their parents! At the end of the day, having strong relationships with the people you love is great for their health, which might be another reason why people living longer…
