I "moved out" when I went to college full-time. After school, I moved back to the area and had a place of my own. I thought about going to a commercial diving school, and in anticipation gave up my place and moved back in with my parents. Had a bad feeling about the diving school and listened to my gut instincts. Never moved back out.
I keep meaning to, and I really want to get out because I like my privacy, but there are some advantages....
1. Cheap rent and no utilities.
2. My income can supplement their needs (I paid 1/3 of the roof replacement a couple years back).
3. Since I'm open to going wherever opportunity leads, I'm more flexible knowing I can pack and go and come back whenever for my stuff rather than having a mortgage or a lease I can't just walk away from on short notice.
Last year, my dad had a stroke. Because I was home, we got him to the ER as soon as practical, and while he was fine when we got there, they kept him overnight...then he had a second, more severe stroke. During the stroke, my dad was awake, alert and otherwise cognizant, but he has no memory of anything from right before the stroke to when I was putting his socks on his feet maybe 10-15 minutes later. Had I not been home, he probably would have gotten himself off the floor and had no idea that he had suffered a stroke.
Unfortunately, now I have to keep this in mind when considering moving out. With this economy, any job worth moving over had better pay well because I either need to be able to get home or hire someone to "help out" as needed...and the jobs just aren't paying that well.
22 May 2013, 2:51 pm
