The Nuclear Family Isn’t Working

I live in Miami. Around 70% of us are Hispanic. The other 30% is primarily Caribbean, mostly from Haiti and the Bahamas. Because of this, our local culture is quite a bit different from the rest of mainland America. Growing up, every house on my street, mine included, had at least 3 generations of each family living there. My parents, and I, lived with my grandma. There are a few houses with 4–5 generations living in one home. This concept of leaving the nest just isn’t a thing here.

Zoomers aren’t mocked for not moving out. Millennials are not shamed for moving back in…we didn’t leave to begin with lol People who are 40, 50, even 60 years old, have never moved out of their parents’ homes, and no one bats an eye, it’s not odd, or shameful, or made fun of. Not only is this the norm, but everyone here understands it’s practicality.

Let’s start with the oldest generations in this type of situation-

My grandma owned her house. No mortgage to pay. But there are other households that have a mortgage or rent, and the oldest generation is retired, living on social security.

How often do we hear about people on social security moving into smaller homes cause everyone left the nest and they don’t want to have to maintain a larger home anymore? They tend to move to rentals, not…