Adults Moving Back Home Struggle with Sense of Adulthood

Financial relief from multigenerational living comes with emotional adjustments

Published on Feb. 14, 2026

Got story updates? Submit your updates here. ›

For many adults, moving in with parents or in-laws was supposed to solve a practical financial problem. However, the experience reshaped how they thought about independence, pride, and family roles, often leaving them feeling like they had 'blown up their life and gone back to square one.' While the extra support sometimes improved daily life, the psychological impact was harder to navigate, with several people saying they no longer felt like 'real adults.'

Why it matters

As more adults turn to multigenerational living arrangements to address financial pressures, this story highlights the emotional toll it can take on one's sense of independence and adulthood, even as it provides practical benefits. It underscores the complex personal adjustments required when adult children move back home.

The details

Across stories from ten people who lived in multigenerational households as adults, many said the financial relief mattered, but the harder, longer-lasting adjustment was emotional. The experience reshaped how they thought about independence, pride, and family roles. Most people didn't want to move in, feeling they had to due to circumstances like marriage, health issues, or unsustainable finances. The hardest parts were psychological, with people describing feelings of failure, isolation, and a loss of the 'version of adulthood' they thought they were supposed to have.

  • In 2025, Lauren Barnhill wrote an essay for Business Insider about moving in with her parents at age 32, shortly after getting married.
  • Natalia Molina moved back to her parents' home in Florida at age 28 after experiencing burnout and debt.

The players

Lauren Barnhill

A writer living in Midland, Texas who moved in with her parents at age 32 shortly after getting married.

Laura Kerr

Walked away from her career and rebuilt her life from her parents' home at age 42 after her health collapsed.

Katie Bunton

Moved her family in with her mother-in-law at age 33 to save money after realizing their finances weren't sustainable on their own.

Natalia Molina

Moved back to her parents' home in Florida at age 28 after experiencing burnout and debt.

Ces Heradia

Lived in a multigenerational household in her 30s and said it stripped away the version of adulthood she thought she was supposed to have.

Got photos? Submit your photos here. ›

What they’re saying

“We weren't exactly thrilled at first — I mean, who wants to move back in with their parents right after getting married?”

— Lauren Barnhill (Business Insider)

“The first two months of living with my parents were isolating, and I honestly felt like a failure. I felt like I had blown up my life and gone back to square one.”

— Natalia Molina (Business Insider)

“I still don't feel like a real adult.”

— Ces Heradia (Business Insider)

The takeaway

This story highlights the complex emotional adjustments required when adults move back in with their parents, even as the financial benefits are clear. It underscores how the experience can reshape one's sense of independence and adulthood, requiring people to grapple with feelings of failure, isolation, and a loss of the life they envisioned for themselves.