Here’s my hot take of the day. Part of dismantling amatonormativity is removing the stigma surrounding living with your parents or other close family members as an adult.
No, hear me out. A lot of the time the only person it’s socially acceptable to really live with, and make permanent plans to do so, is with your romantic partner. Even when you have kids, in some cultures it’s almost obligatory that they move out by the time they turn 18 or finish high school. So they do that.
But let’s assume they don’t want to be in a relationship. They don’t want to live with random strangers as roommates. Their best friends have already made living arrangements with someone else. Or they just don’t want to live with them. And let’s say they don’t want to live alone. Because it can get lonely. Maybe they don’t want to come home to an empty house, eat alone everyday, spend their free time binging Netflix by themselves. Whatever reason it is.
I just think living with your parents should still be a valid option (provided that they’re personally okay with such an arrangement, of course). Familial love isn’t less than romantic love, so it shouldn’t be seen as a downgrade or a ‘I’m settling for this because I have no choice’ option if they choose to do it.
Look, I do get the whole independence thing (personally this isn’t something I’d opt for just for that reason), but it doesn’t have to be it was when you were a child. If you’re a grown adult, contribute. Live with them instead of under them.
