Adjusting to adult kids moving back home - Life with Mikey

Yesterday my son and I met with a reporter with the Sacramento Bee. I had written an article on my blog called, Adult Kids - They Come Back.

I'm wondering as I'm writing this, if I should not disclose too much info. I don't want to ruin the guy's story. So, I'll keep it to my experience.

Anyway, a few days ago I get a call and it's a writer for the Bee who would like to interview my son and I for a story he is working on. I was really surprised that my son was willing to go along with it at all. I guess he figured it was important to me so he agreed to come along.

At the interview this nice young man appeared in my son's body. He was smart and articulate. I was amazed to listen to him discussing his plans for college and career goals. Who was this guy? My son? That is my son.

At the interview, Sam (The writer for the Bee) moved the recorder towards me, I had to say, "I'm flabbergasted right now."

I told him that normally, I don't get to have this kind of conversation with my son because I'm usually caught in the cycle of asking him to pick up his clothes or clean up in the kitchen, don't shut the cat out of the bathroom, make sure you lock the front door, leave some milk for the rest of us, etc., and he tunes me out. Tunes me out! Literally.

Most of the time I have to tap him on the shoulder or talk loud because he's got his headphones on listening to music. (I swear that kid's gonna go deaf!) Sometimes the rest of us are trying to watch TV and we have to ask him to turn down his head set.

So today, that nice young man from the interview came to me and said, "Mom, I realized yesterday when you said what you did, that you're right. I don't talk to you like an adult and I haven't been a very good roommate."

Is this a EUREKA moment?

I won't do the happy dance just yet.

It will take some time but I think we are going in a good direction. Maybe I won't lose my mind after all.

When the Bee article comes out, I'll add a link to it. I hope it's good and that it is something helpful to all the empty nesters who have adult children moving back home.

These days, especially with this recession or depression or whatever they want to call it, a lot of families are fitting more than one generation under one roof.