It may seem initially that the pros will outweigh the cons of living at home under your parents' roof after college. Like, you'll save money by not paying for rent, utilities, groceries, etc. while you think you've mastered how to live harmoniously with your parents after four years of summer and holiday vacations. The fact remains, as good as you thought you were at coming home for break and living at home again, living at home permanently, separated by the roommates you've made your second family, is something you haven't done in four long, independent, carefree years. And although I am MOST grateful for having parents who have taken me back in, after living at home for a little over two months since graduation, I can already tell that these "pros" will only outweigh the difficult transition for so long.
1. The expectations of you have been gradually raised each year you've successfully survived in college. No one's going to do your laundry for you since you've done countless loads of it while in college, people are going to expect you to feed yourself just as you would away at school, cleaning up after yourself is a given ... the list goes on.
2. But just as everyone will expect you can fend for yourself, you're also going to be expected to check in with your parents everywhere you go. Living independently at school means you make your own schedule and no one really cares where you are except your lonely roommates from time to time. At home, there are going to be plenty of people in need of your whereabouts 24/7 and it's going to be annoying to get used to.
3. If you're going to live at home, you're going to have to contribute to the overall way of life that has gone on while you've been away. That means helping out around the house, not disturbing those who have been waking up and going to sleep on their own time without you, and everything in between that you haven't missed while away at school.
4. Your spontaneous decisions are not only unappreciated, but also unacceptable. Remember how at school you could decide to go out to the bars at 11:30 p.m. and no one was upset, but rather happy with your decision? Not at home. You'd first be waking up your parents to tell them you're going out and then have to face their disappointment of your decision to do so... not worth it. They're also not going to appreciate you drunk ordering Domino's to the house at 2 a.m. after your night out.
5. All of your belongings are no longer welcome around the house. At school, it wasn't strange to see random articles of your clothing scattered around your room/house because your roommates clothes were either right along side of your mess or they were left there because your roommates had been borrowing them. At home, doing so isn't as common and will be reprimanded.
6. Sitting in front of the TV for hours each weekend isn't as easy to do. People are getting ready for the work week ahead and as crazy as it may seem, might want to watch something other than "Keeping Up With The Kardashians" or "Chopped" for 12 hours straight.
7. Laying in bed watching Netflix for hours isn't considered a proper alternative for socializing. Home life means engaging in conversation with your family at the end of the day as much as you would rather lay in bed and watch Netflix because (see #3) that's not what normal people do.
8. Your outfit choices aren't going to go over as well. Just as it was in high school, your parents style still isn't like yours, so no, they're not going to like 90 percent of the outfits you walk out of the house in and yes, they're going to say something about it.
9. Online shopping deliveries won't go unnoticed. While at school, the biggest thrill of the day was receiving an e-mail that a package came for you. At home, your parents are going to wonder how you can afford to online shop as much as you do and (see #8) not understand why you bought what you did.
10. Every little thing that bothers you at home is going to remind you of how much you miss college and how you'd give anything to go back. $2 cab rides to the crappy college bars > expensive Ubers all over the city, crappy college bars filled with your entire grade/school > prestigious bars without a soul you know in them, being walking distance from your best friends > FaceTiming, eating take out in front of the TV with your roommates > eating take out in front of the TV without your roommates ...
