My high-school self was like any hormonal teenage girl - sad, shy, lonely, embarrassed, irritable, and extremely acne-prone. I felt helpless, as though I would never be able to figure out life on my own. These pieces of my youth made me feel like I was still mom and dad's little girl, forever stuck in high school. It also didn't help that I could spend aching hours of the day looking at my framed high-school diploma or all the artifacts from my childhood, such as my American Girl dolls and old prom dresses.
While Census Bureau data published in November showed almost half of young adults in the US lived at home, I still attach shame and guilt to my living situation. Even during the earlier pandemic days, many of my friends were scoring big jobs and moving across the country. Unfortunately, it's so hard not to compare myself with my peers. I understand there's a great amount of privilege, security, and financial relief I have in living with my parents. Living with my parents presented some internal challenges Still, returning home felt like a defeat. I've always had a positive relationship with my parents my childhood was a balance of guidance, freedom, and support. Since there's such a large age gap between my siblings and me, for many years before I moved out, it was just my mom, dad, and me in our big house after they left for college. My mom had me when she was 39 and my dad was 45, making them 63 and 70 now, respectively. My two siblings are older than me by almost a decade. After deciding to finish school remotely and graduating in 2021, I still live with my parents. However, a short-term plan became three years.
I've pictured myself living there since high school. Once the pandemic died down, I still planned to live my big-city dreams in New York after school. In March 2020, at the age of 21, I had just moved back home from Boston to live with my parents in my suburban town of Stoneham, Massachusetts, after the college I was attending sent students home because of the pandemic. I stared at the bright-yellow walls of my childhood bedroom in all their teenage-angsty glory. Courtesy of Natalie DanielsĪfter my college went virtual because of the pandemic, I moved back in with my parents at 21.īeing back home was hard - I kept comparing myself with friends with exciting jobs across the world.īut it's strengthened my bond with my parents their experience means they have great career advice.
0 kommentar(er)
