Family compounds? Pros & cons?

kiddie
Mon, 10 Jan 2022 16:38:39 +0000

To me a family compound is something the Kennedys have - many houses on an expansive property. Growing up in Brooklyn among immigrant families, most of us lived in multigenerational homes. Almost all the houses on the block were 2 or 3 family homes with 3 generations living in them. In addition, your aunts, uncles, and cousins lived within a few blocks, and most families had a large Sunday dinner with all the relatives. There was lots of shared caretaking responsibilities - whether it was for the children or for the elderly.

All of my peers, moved out to the suburbs, left their parents behind and did not raise their children the same as they had been raised. They chose houses on their own property with privacy and space (something they didn’t have when they shared bedrooms with siblings and houses with grandparents.)

Now they have adult children who mostly have made lives even farther afield than they went from their parents. A few housed these kids during the pandemic, mostly as a means to save money, keep them safe, and give each other company. These situations ended up being temporary and most of these adult kids have already moved back to their independent apartments.