Isn’t it time to go out on your own?

I’m not advocating leaving your family. I would never do that, especially if you’re a married man or woman with a loving husband or wife and children. That would be immoral and wrong on so many levels. But there’s a point in life, according to their age, in which, I feel, it is appropriate for a grown son or daughter to make their own way in the world, even if they’re single. If you’re in your 40s 0r 50s or more and still living with your parents and siblings, I can guarantee you that it is not only stupid but there’s something very wrong with your thought process and the thought process of the rest of your family.

Families don’t always get on. In fact, there are more times when there are horrible clashes than agreements. These clashes are made worse in small spaces where two or more adults might share a small space. There may be little to no room for storage, walking and certainly no privacy. Is that normal living? Absolutely not. In fact, these confined spaces where grown adults are living together is fodder for clashes, disagreements and complete anger at not having that privacy to do their own things. It’s made worse when they may be at an age where they no longer work and are now all sitting at home. It’s also made worse by the timings each individual chooses to take. Imagine living with someone who chooses to stay awake all night, when you’re asleep, and then sleeps when you are awake doing your chores. That means that the bedroom you share is inaccessible to you because there’s someone catching up on their sleep and the room is pitch dark. Who would not lose their cool in those circumstances?

There’s also the issue with opinions and ways of doing things. As you grow older you become set in your ways. You like to do things a certain way but if you’re living with other grown siblings or family members you will certainly feel hampered. Don’t do that this way! Don’t do this that way! That is all you’re doing to hear for the rest of your life, probably until the day you die. Is it not about time to do the grown up thing and go out on your own? Get your own flat where you can do what you like, when you like and how you like? You have your opinion and you can stick to it. You have your way of doing something and you can do it because it will be your place and your rules apply. It’s not selfish. It’s a survival technique. If you don’t, someone is likely to get very sick with all the pent up frustration and anger. That illness could be mental or physical or both. And don’t even get me started on the damaged relationship; often that damage being irreversible and beyond repair. The saying is that absence makes the heart grow fonder but not in this case. You might find yourself sighing with relief and not missing anyone for a second.

People think that the British the Royal Family all live together under the same roof. I don’t know how true this is but surely you must know that the palace in which they are supposedly living is actually built with multiple flats, all of which are fully self-contained. Therefore, while they might appear to all be living together under the same roof, they are in fact not together. They live separately in flats that happen to be in the same building. Each flat has its own entrance. So while they are in the same building, they rarely see each other except at public events. Many non-western cultures frown upon the west because children move out as soon as they’re able to. I used to as well. But not anymore. There’s some common sense involved in it. People are their own people. They have their own personalities and ways of doing things. If they wish to maintain a good relationship with one another, living separately is the solution. Why would you want to live with people who don’t give a toss about your health or well-being?