Cons

Noise – Having lived on our own for several years, in a quiet road on the edge of the woods noise was always going to be an issue. However, I don’t think either of us were quite prepared for the size of the decibels.

Mess – Being just two grown ups, who mostly put things away when finished with, it was a bit of a shock to go back to stepping over toys, dirty hand prints on the walls and windows and clutter everywhere. Cleaning is almost a full time job and we’ve had to lower our standards somewhat.

Breakages – Again, being an ageing twosome, we like things to last so look after them. If something comes loose it gets tightened straight away, if something gets slightly  damaged it gets repaired immediately. It seems the younger generation are not of the same mindset. We have to be constantly alert to any minor repairs that need doing before it’s too late. The garden also appears to be our domain, with the weeding, lawn mowing & fencing maintenance all in our “job description”.

Washing – With nine people in the house, the washing machine needed to be of an industrial standard, as it is almost constantly on. This in itself is not a problem, the issue in my eyes, is drying it all. Not so bad in the Summer months, when it’s out on the line, but during the Winter months, our conservatory looks like a Chinese laundry, with airers constantly full of drying clothes 😢

Entertaining – Having friends around for drinks, is always a pleasure and we can relax, in our lounge, away from the hustle and bustle of the rest of the household. Having friends for dinner is a whole different ball game. Sharing a kitchen and dining area which leads into the conservatory is not really conducive to dining with friends in peace. There’s always a constant flow of people, making tea or raiding the fridge. If we look to retire to the conservatory we could also be fighting our way through the Chinese laundry 😳 😳 😳 😳 😳 😳

Pros

Space – The house is on three floors and the rooms are good sizes. We have shared spaces, but we also have separate lounges, and a whole floor between ours and their bedrooms, so we can retire to our own private space if needed.

Financial – Although the house is larger than our previous home, sharing the bills leaves our finances in better shape, than they might have been. The inevitable household maintenance is also more affordable when it’s divided between us.

Grandkids – We get to spend more time with our Grandkids, which means more hugs and kisses, than most Grandparents enjoy. We hear all about their days at school, and know some of their friends. We can listen to them playing, watch them enjoy riding their bikes in the garden and help them with their reading and craft work.

Laughter – Despite the inevitable bickering between siblings, there is also a lot of laughter in the house. The twins, especially, are still gigglers and mainly have a lot of fun together. There’s no better sound in life than the joy of children playing and laughing together.

Downsizing – Almost 8 years ago we were planning to downsize in readiness for retirement. We have probably achieved the best of both worlds. Our own personal space is smaller, but we have a much larger kitchen, dining area and conservatory, albeit shared space. We have essentially downsized to a bigger house!

Entertaining – We still have a large enough, private space to entertain friends for drinks & nibbles. We can close our lounge door and forget (in the nicest possible way) that the rest of the household are in. And with some of our Son in Laws, family living away, the family occasionally head off to the West Country for visits and together with their love of camping weekends during the Summer, enables us to occasionally entertain friends to dinner or a bbq in peace.

Life in general has its ups and downs, but on the whole we have more ups. Multigenerational living is also good for our mental and physical wellbeing. We have had to learn to be more tolerant of noise and mess and I have also had to learn to bite my tongue, when things irritate me.

However, every now and again, I call a “House Meeting”. Everyone knows, then, that I have something to get off my chest. We generally manage to thrash the issue out and come to a mutually agreeable resolution. It doesn’t always last for very long and we are having to constantly adapt as the kids get older, but so long as we stay honest about our feelings, then we will all continue to rub along together very well.

I will probably always have the upper hand. The older I get, the more crotchety and cantankerous I could get and, if they wear me out now, they may end up having to “care” for me later on!

I think, at the next “House Meeting”, I should point this out, to ensure they pull their weight around the house 😂.

I need to keep them on their toes.