Exclusive: How Moving In With Parents Has Affected Youth In The Pandemic

Ever since Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced the nation-wide lockdown from 24 March 2020, staying at home has become the new normal. Be it education institutions,work stations, fitness centres, malls, everything was shut down due to safety reasons and to counter the spread of viral infections. Due to this, several companies allowed their employees to work from home. This was to ensure that people are staying at home and are protected from the coronavirus outbreak. As a result, most of the people thought to move in with their parents and folks.

It did work out for working professionals and students for whom it became an excellent opportunity to spend some time with their family members while fighting with the pandemic and the crisis it created simultaneously. For them, quarantining with their loved ones seemed to be a better option than staying alone in their hostel, PG accommodation or flat. Certainly, staying with your family members is fun and relaxing but what if it seems a bit tough at times?

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Boldsky got in touch with a few such people who moved in with their parents during this lockdown. These people have shared how things have changed in their lives since they moved in with their parents.

Ravi Shankar who is a 25-year-old photographer from Delhi says, "Ever since I moved in with my parents, I am happy that I am getting to eat delicious food. I got to know that just because our folks have the comfort of staying in their own house, it doesn't mean they do not face any problems."

Priya Sinha, a 24-year-old blogger from Patna who works in Bangalore, says, "As soon as the domestic flights resumed their services, my folks asked me if I wanted to come home. Initially, I denied but then I thought of going to my hometown and staying with my parents. This is because my office extended the work from home and above all, I felt bored in this pandemic."

Getting to see your parents after a long time and staying in the comfort of your house is definitely a blessing. But there are some CONS to it as well which simply can't be avoided. We have curated some points for you that you will be completely able to relate to.

1. The Dissimilarities In Lifestyles Create Problems

The generation gap can at times create problems between parents and their children. What may seem right to parents may not seem the same to the youths.
"I know if I stay with my parents for more than two-three weeks, my life will become way different than the one I am living in Bangalore. This is because they have a different theory of life and I have my own. They do not watch movies other than those which were released in the 1970s, 1980s and so on. For them, listening to songs with earphones on or giving space to each other, is an alien concept," said Priya.

Ravi says, "Though we have stayed together for years, I have grown up to have a different taste in several things. For example, my family members do not like the way I dress or the way I read news on my phone."

2. Eating Habits May Clash With Each Other

We know that nobody else in the world will care about what we eat and drink. It is always our parents who will ensure that our tummy is full and we eat nutritious food. But we also can't deny that staying away from home can result in changed food habits.

Ravi says, "Staying away from home made me develop a different yet healthy food habit. I am quite a health-conscious person and prefer to avoid sugar and spicy food. But my parents and other family members don't seem to be getting along with it. They ask me to eat what is being cooked and a diet other than what they have been having for ages is completely unacceptable."

3. Technology Seems To Have Created An Invisible Wall

Parents won't mind even helicopter parenting to find out the activities of their children on the internet. Ravi says, "Though I am not a fan of series and movies, I find my folks being more like a peeping tom whenever I watch something on YouTube or scroll through my Insta feed. They do not like seeing my eyes on my mobile screen."

Anamika Mishra, who is a 24-year-old techie from Bihar too feels that the technology has somehow created a distance between youths and their parents. She shared her views with Boldsky, "Since our generation is surrounded by hundreds of technological advancements, we cannot stay away from our phones. It is not that we are addicted but our work profile and lifestyle make us use the gadgets for a considerable amount of time."

"My parents often complain that I am not giving them enough time. However, at times they don't understand that I have my office work to do while being at home and thus I am unable to spend enough time with them during the day time," says Anamika.

On the other end, Priya says, "My parents either video bomb my zoom meetings or will ask me to leave the meeting at once and search their spectacles or help in gardening. If I ask them to wait until my meeting gets over, they become quite impatient and start ranting about the demerits of technology. They often complain about why I sit in front of my laptop on a daily basis."

4. Differences In Thoughts And Opinions Lead To Argument

Anamika says, "Growing up and learning things in our lives helps us in understanding what's good and bad. We become inclined towards rational and logical thinking. Now when you try to explain something to your parents or put your opinions and ask them to discard superstitions, they often think that we are being disobedient and outspoken. They feel I have grown arrogant and egotist just because now I am earning."

While Ravi says, "I feel since they have been doing things in their own ways and according to what they learned from their parents, they feel we can't correct them."

We agree that our parents have seen more than we did and have experienced the world better than us. But that doesn't make us stupid. We are young and staying away from our respective homes has helped us in learning some crucial life lessons.

5. Staying Alone Makes It Difficult To Adjust With Our Folks

The Indian culture has always emphasised on staying in a joint or big family as this ensures that the children learn the essential life lessons. It ensures that we develop the skills to adjust with people having different personality traits.

Ravi says, "I feel that staying alone gives us the opportunity to develop some habits and own way of living. We get used to our daily routine and way of living. But when we come home and stay with our families, things may seem a bit difficult for us because our habits and way of living often contradicts."

Speaking on the same lines, Priya adds, "It is not that we didn't live peacefully together. We did but now we have our independent lives and we are used to it. Coming together to live and exploring each other's quirks and habits have made things a bit tougher."

It is clearly evident that there are times when youths may face problems when they move in with their family members. But this doesn't mean that the youths don't love and respect their family members. Ravi says, "I am so glad to have my family with me during this pandemic. I have realised that our family will always support us in every thick and thin." Anamika too feels the same.

Also read: 8 Things That Your Mother May Want To Hear From You

There is nothing called generation gap and what exists is lack of communication and understanding which results in heated arguments or frustrations at times. If you really want peace, then sit together and find a middle ground to solve this issue. It is never about right and wrong but to understand and respect each other's perspectives.