My mother, Loretta Flick
Just read a column in the Wall Street Journal by a fellow who told of the first time he brought home a centerfold of a partially nude young woman. This happened in the early 1980s, when his hormones were in their teens. His mother was clever, he said, in that she asked him if it was right to steal. He replied, “No.” Continue reading
Ice, forest, fog
I have not posted recently because I’ve been skiing and taking pictures. I return from skiing exhausted and can barely function. If I sit at the computer, I fall asleep. I take some ibuprofen, eat, and do whatever is absolutely necessary before getting into bed where I sleep like a rock. Then I go skiing again. I’m 68 years old and haven’t skied through a winter in 42 years. Besides being older, I’m 80 pounds heavier.
If not skiing, I go out looking for aspects of Vermont to photograph. Continue reading
As multigenerational families grow, more people are dealing with the difficult task of incorporating a new member into an existing household. There are important generic differences between needy parents joining families of their children, and young adults returning home. Also, each case will have a unique family history. Still, it seems possible to build a framework that will help families chart successful futures.
Here are three elements of such a framework:
Coming Home-- Photo by Jamie Harris
Multigenerational households are growing in the United States, according to a 2010 study by the Pew Foundation. Such households were common in the early twentieth century, then they declined, reaching a relative low point around 1980. They have been rising since then, showing a distinct uptick with the recent recession. In a culture that emphasizes independence, multigenerational households generally expand out of necessity, providing further evidence that times are tough. These trends will affect the retirements of millions of Americans.