Moving in With the Kids To Build Family Relationships?
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If you've ever had to face the prospect of moving in with the kids, you might have thought of it as a great new experience in family relationships. In my case, it was one of my most embarrassing life lessons.
I saw a bumper sticker, somewhere, that said "Pay your kids back, move in with them". It's a funny bumper sticker but I don't think most of us would seriously consider it as a reality. I can imagine being at a stage in life where I became too feeble to live on my own and one of the kids taking me in so I wouldn't have to go to an old folks home. That is a scenario that I could live with, but what happened to me is quite different.
About ten years ago, after an ongoing battle with the IRS, seized accounts and all the trimmings, my wife, of 33 years, and I, found ourselves flat broke. We had been leasing a home with option to buy, waiting on the IRS thing to clear up. The option period expired and the owner of the home decided not to renew the lease and to move back into the home herself.
Her sudden announcement hit me like a brick in the head and my mind reeled with the ramifications her decision set into motion. We had enough money for the next month's rent, but not enough to relocate. The new utility costs and coming up with the first and last months rent along with security deposits was more than we could come up with.
We were now facing a reality we hadn't imagined in our worst nightmare. We were homeless. Through sleepless nights, I would wrack my brain, trying to come up with a plan or plans of what we might be able to do. Of all the plans that came to mind, moving in with our kids wasn't one of them.
When the time came to move and there was only a couple of days left, our youngest son offered a room in their home for us to stay. I can't describe for you the battle that went on inside my head. I had always been self-employed. Through a screw up by my CPA, I had gotten into a mess with the IRS. That cost me my business and now here I was moving in with a son to whom I'd always preached being self sufficient.
The kids and grandkids treated us like royalty and we felt so blessed to have them that it helped remove some of the sting of our situation. Fortunately, my wife and I both got jobs within a short time and were able to move out on our own again after only a couple of weeks.
If you ever find yourself in a similar situation, you might have to swallow your pride, as I did, move in with the family you raised and just receive the loving hospitality that only your kids can provide.
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