"The first time your parents walk into your home unannounced is fine; the seventh and eighth time? That's a bit of a problem. The first rule I required when we all moved in is that you have to knock if you're going into the other person's space. Our time in our homes is private, and no one wants to be ambushed by something they weren't expecting. Plus, my husband and I both work from home and can't afford to have calls interrupted unexpectedly."
"Although my in-laws have their own apartment upstairs, we share a laundry room in the basement. I'm terrible with laundry. I let it pile up forever until I have to spend the whole day doing it, and I routinely forget that I have clothes in the washer and dryer. So to make things easier on everyone, I suggested assigned laundry days. That way, I'm motivated to get all my stuff out of the machines and not to wait so long to do laundry."
A couple purchased a house with an upstairs in-law suite and welcomed retired parents to live nearby to reduce stress from distance. Household rules were established to preserve privacy and avoid disruptions: require knocking before entering another person's space and respect scheduled routines. Shared spaces, like a basement laundry room, use assigned laundry days to prevent forgotten loads and reduce conflict. Both adult children work from home, so minimizing unexpected interruptions and respecting pets and personal time helps maintain harmony and makes multigenerational living manageable.
Read at Apartment Therapy
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