Economy forces adult children to move home

With whom do you live?

Moving back with parents requires respect, other skills

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Teresa and Will Eichelberger (foreground) have 13 people living under her roof, and sometimes as many as 16, thanks to the economy. Her daughter, son-in-law and their three children moved in last October after he lost his job and then their home in Greenville.

Jim Witmer Teresa and Will Eichelberger (foreground) have 13 people living under her roof, and sometimes as many as 16, thanks to the economy. Her daughter, son-in-law and their three children moved in last October after he lost his job and then their home in Greenville.

By Jim DeBrosse, Staff Writer Updated 12:18 AM Monday, June 15, 2009

For Will and Teresa Eichelberger, having a baker’s dozen plus one — 14 people and three generations — under one roof may be cheaper, but the toll in privacy and comfort has its own price tag.

Since October of last year, their modest, three-bedroom home has added a stepdaughter, the homeless friend of a college-age son, a homeless son and an unemployed daughter, their two spouses and five grandchildren.

Bedrooms have been set up in the basement, utility room and enclosed back porch.

Family members eat in shifts. Use of the one full bathroom runs on a tight, tight schedule.

An in-law “told us we need a doormat that says, ‘Welcome to the Jungle,’ ” said 45-year-old Teresa Eichelberger.

The Eichelbergers represent the crowded extreme of a fast-growing trend — adult children seeking shelter from a stormy economy under their parents’ roof.

According to the Census Bureau, 5.1 million Americans ages 25 to 34 were living in the home of a parent in 2008 — a 20 percent increase from 2004. Even more surprising, a survey in January by AARP, the lobby for older Americans, found that 11 percent of adults between the ages of 35 and 44 were living with parents or in-laws.

Among them are Mark and Karen White, ages 48 and 52, who both lost jobs in January and moved in with Karen’s mother in Miamisburg, and Tim Supinger, 41, who returned to his parents’ home in Lebanon two years ago after months of job hunting.

The upside of family togetherness is the ability to share costs and find emotional support.

But there are challenges — stress, care-giving dilemmas, space and privacy constraints, and scheduling chaos. Not to mention who gets to be boss.

Experts warn it’s tough, but some families say they wouldn’t want it any other way.

“There has been more good than bad, probably for all of us,” said Cheri Supinger, Tim’s mother.

Continue reading: Moving back with parents requires respect, other skills

Contact this reporter at (937) 225-2437 or jdebrosse@DaytonDailyNews.com.

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