Moving back with my parents made me realize how society makes young people struggle

Aubrianna Snow · for CBC First Person

· Posted: May 27, 2025 4:00 AM EDT | Last Updated: 10 minutes ago

This First Person file is the acquisition of Aubrianna Snow, who lives successful Sherwood Park, Alta. For much accusation astir CBC's First Person stories, please see the FAQ.

It was the hottest time of the twelvemonth and I was packing up my mugs. 

I had assembled the postulation implicit 5 years of surviving connected my ain — mugs commemorating trips, cartoon characters, places I had worked oregon volunteered — each present destined for retention successful my parents' garage. 

Putting them distant was similar ending a friendship. It had already been a precise challenging twelvemonth and it was lone July. 

My lease was up successful a period and my landlord had decided to rise my rent by astir 20 per cent. I couldn't truly blasted him. I knew helium could beryllium getting much for his spot successful this economy.

The occupation was I present couldn't get overmuch much than a country successful Edmonton for the terms I'd been paying and I wasn't working. Most of my enactment had been declaration positions, and uncovering thing much imperishable was a challenge.

Feeling of shame

My parents had suggested I enactment with them for a twelvemonth until I got backmost connected my feet. It was a generous offer, but it wasn't my favourite idea. 

Something astir it felt similar regressing and backtracking each the advancement I'd made to go an independent, self-sufficient adult. There was a definite shame successful being backmost successful my parents' basement, present 26 and jobless.

I had tried to bash everything close since I turned 18. I overextended myself — working, going to school, volunteering, penning and trying to unafraid a unchangeable future. And contempt it all, I inactive recovered myself here.

The thought of moving backmost successful with my parents had immoderate appealing qualities. My mom's wellness had been up and down implicit the people of the past year and caring for our family's 3 ample dogs had go a situation for her portion my dada worked retired of town.

If thing else, it would beryllium an accidental for maine to assistance retired astir the location and prevention some money astatine the aforesaid time. 

I decided to spell for it. After all, it was a impermanent measure. If it truly didn't enactment out, I could astir apt determination connected wrong a fewer months.

I'd work each nonfiction offering proposal for moving backmost successful with parents arsenic an big and anticipated a large accommodation play connected my end. The challenges and sacrifices I had anticipated, though, ne'er came.

A consciousness of purpose

My parents and I rapidly fell into a routine. I recovered I enjoyed the accidental to cheque successful with them every day, bash chores and marque myself utile for my family. In fact, it was little enactment wide than it had been surviving connected my own. I forewent my puerility chamber successful favour of the impermanent room. Settling successful with my parents arsenic an big felt antithetic than surviving astatine location arsenic a child.

Life took connected an easier, much playful tone. My intelligence wellness improved significantly. There was ever idiosyncratic around, thing going on, a spot for maine to land.

Drinking java from my parents' mug and looking out the room window, I reflected connected the ways that our nine forces young radical to struggle.

It's expected that you'll be financially and emotionally stable and contented to hack it connected your ain by the clip your 20s rotation around.

Our ancestors didn't unrecorded similar this and would astir apt deliberation it was silly to effort and bash so. As humans, we're meant to beryllium successful narration to 1 different — surviving successful community. With our family. It's what we evolved to do.

WATCH | Rising outgo of surviving sees immoderate young Canadians clasp a 'sharing' economy:

Moving backmost successful with my parents didn't instrumentality thing distant from me. It gave maine backmost my sense of purpose, and I'm not ashamed that this section is simply a portion of my story. 

I've since moved retired of my parents' house, unearthed my mug collection, and recovered a consciousness of meaning successful the clip I spent there. Every time with my parents is simply a gift, and I'm grateful to person a spot I tin ever travel location to.

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