Would you be happy with your parents as your upstairs neighbors?
In an essay in the New York Times magazine this weekend, Ben Greenman contemplates the benefits of living in a two-family house with his parents. One clear plus: His 9-year-old son would be thrilled.
As a juggler, of course, there are a couple of other tantalizing plus sides: Back-up child-care is just a flight of stairs away. Family vacations aren't always monopolized by trips to your in-laws' house. And, as your parents get older and perhaps require some caretaking on your part, proximity makes it simpler to care for them.
Of course, many adults moved out of their parents homes long ago in a quest for independence-and privacy. As one of Mr. Greenman friends asks him: 'Do you want your parents to know every time you have a fight with your wife?'
Still, more parents are moving back in with their kids. I was recently talking to a home builder who mentioned that in-law additions are an increasingly popular component of newly built houses.
It's hard to set boundaries when you're literally living on top of one another, which can complicate the family dynamic.
Nevertheless, Mr. Greenman and his wife have been looking for two-family homes, ruling out places where the master bedrooms are stacked atop each other.
My grandparents shared a two-family house with my aunt (their daughter) and her family in Brooklyn. When I was a kid, their two-family house was a paradise. On visits to stay with my grandparents, I could be indulged with my grandmother's home-cooking and entertained downstairs by my aunt and cousins. Looking back, I think my cousins were lucky to grow-up with their grandparents around. And talking to them now, they all look back to that time fondly. I know the arrangement also made it easier for my aunt to work part-time outside the home.
Readers, do think the benefits of living with your parents or in-laws outweigh the disadvantages? Is it something you'd consider?
在《纽约时报》(New York Times)杂志上的一篇文章中，格林曼(Ben Greenman)思考了与父母住在一起的好处。一个明显的好处是：他九岁的儿子会乐疯的。
当然，作为一个又要忙工作、又要忙家里的人来说，还有其他一些好处：看小孩的备用人选只有几级台阶之遥，家庭假期不一定总要去丈母娘家度过了。此外，随着父母年纪越来越大，他们或许需要你的照料，住的近可以让你更方便地照顾他们。
当然，很多成年人为了独立和隐私着想，早就从父母家里搬出来了。正如格林曼的一个朋友问他的：每次你和老婆打架的时候，都想让父母知道吗？
尽管如此，更多的父母开始搬回孩子家里住。最近，我和一个房屋建筑商聊天时，他提到在新建的住房里，为父母准备个房间越来越流行了。
当你们住楼上楼下的时候，很难设定边界，这可能会令家庭氛围更加复杂。
不过，格林曼和妻子一直在寻找两家合住的房子，但排除了主卧楼上楼下正对的格局。
我的祖父母和我的姑姑家同住在布鲁克林的一套房子里。我小的时候，他们的房子对我来说是个天堂。去看望祖父母的时候，我可以尽情享受祖母做的美味大餐，还可以在楼下跟姑姑和表兄弟玩。回想起来，我觉得表兄弟能够在他们外祖父母的陪伴下成长真是幸运。现在和他们聊起来，他们对童年也都是抱有美好的回忆。我知道，这样住在一起还让我的姑姑能够在外做兼职。
读者们，你认为与自己或另一半的父母住在一起好处大于坏处吗？你会考虑和他们住在一起吗？
欢迎大家跟帖说出你的看法（尽量用英语），或者加入我们的全英语QQ群参与讨论。英语家园全英语超级QQ群群规：
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