University life is now finished. As our children return from
whence they came, a new dilemma presents itself: a job to match the degree they
worked so hard to obtain. Today’s modern age does little to fulfill the rest of
the dream towards which our children are working.... Jobs are not in plentiful supply...
Positions in Fortune Five Hundred
companies are not waiting for them... Where
people used to be, a machine called the computer, in all of its many forms, is
now in their place. This is progress, we are told. Our children are vying for too few positions
that remain and until employment is found the questions that beckon to be answered
are, “Where do I live? "How will I eat?”
Returning graduates are now dealing with similar challenges we
faced many years ago: finding a job and a place to live with an added twist:
the student loan. Until these major dilemmas are solved, it makes economic sense
to live at home once again with a couple of changes. Here comes choice: Is it
package A or B that you wish?
The teens or- middle managers- of yesteryear are gone. Newly
minted ‘educated’ adults are now in their place and living with us.... In Package A, we have the ‘home
edition’ where all things remain as they did many years ago when each family member
contributed in a significant way to the functioning and wellbeing of the family
unit: household duties, care of aging pets, etc, car maintenance, lawns and so
forth. The perks here: using family car/ carpooling and saving most /all earned income for the eventual escape into “freedom’... Do not get too comfortable, however...
Living with mom and dad is a starting point not an end point! ...(Remember, it is important to get a job not the job!)
Package B is the ‘hotel edition’, the one we all covet but
dare not ask for... It is the expensive package that, from the outset, sounds
awfully tempting but upon closer examination, is not for us... It allows for
total abdication from all responsibilities...With me so far?... All meals are provided and like a hotel,
rooms are cleaned for you. The come, go and do as you please policy is fun,
momentarily...No overnight guests, however, unless previously discussed with
management team... Room charges will begin immediately and there is no family
car for your use... (Hotels do not include the use of vehicles owned by them in the
daily room rate....so car rental might be your next best choice.)
The home edition was always the preferred choice, though, at
times, there was an inclination to fall into the ‘hotel’ package... A
re-working of these packages was unavailable... ( In the real world,
the changing of policies and prices is rarely done)...
Our family pets benefitted the most as they
had on- the- spot top notch care with those who knew them well while mom and dad were
away on one/two day mini vacations, from time to time...
As time passed it became obvious that a deep bond was
forming among our grown sons, something that might not have been possible
otherwise...To mock families who have ‘live-at-home’ adult children is to make
a mockery of family structure...Helping out deserving members in a family is the meaning of life and family. ... (We are not talking about lazy, loser, watching television, on
the computer all day long, do nothing children, or moochers, as some talk show
hosts would have you believe)... Returning children return for a reason. We all
suffer hardship from time to time and need help. Helping and being helped are
not mutually exclusive...They are the cornerstone of family and community, the building blocks of a caring society... Now, will that be package A or package B?
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