Millennials Reveal The Tough Realities Of Having Their Broke Boomer Parents Move In With Them

Contrary to ~popular belief~ not every millennial blew their money on avocado toast, and some have actually been able to buy homes (despite it being a tough housing market). And, also, contrary to the popular media narrative of millennials moving back in with their parents, recently Fortune published a story about the opposite: how there has been a growing trend of boomers not being able to afford to live on their own and having to move in with their millennial children.

Well, Reddit user LightRobb shared the article on the Boomers Being Fools subreddit, where it was met with TONS of comments. While there were lots of positive comments from millennials who had let their parents move in or said they would let them move into their house, there were also lots of not-so-great comments from people who had let their parents move in and it ended up being a less than ideal situation.

Below are some of the top and best comments:

1. “And then when they move in, they have the audacity to try and establish ‘rules’ with you.”

2. “My wife’s boomer parents pissed away all their money buying survival supplies from Glenn Beck and AR-15′s, racked up thousands in credit card bills, have had their identity stolen seven times, and then when their homeowners insurance skyrocketed, in Florida of course, they were forced to sell their home. Me and the wife moved them to us on our dime, bought them a home which they pay $1,000 ‘rent’ for, all utilities included, which is a loss of at least $2,500 a month for us. And…”

“They are miserable and unhappy and want to move back to Florida. They live in absolute luxury in a house they pay almost nothing for and are the most ungrateful sons a bitches on the planet. All they do is call me to bitch about every minor inconvenience. And now that they paid off their bills with the sale of their house, right back to buying QVC garbage and survival supplies for the end of the world that is never coming. My FIL, and I wish I were f’ing with you here, has enough toilet paper stockpiled in the garage, that if he and my MIL shit 20 times a day, every day, they would have enough toilet paper for the next 32 years. I did the f’ing math.”

3. “Literally got into an argument because I asked my mom to take her shoes off in my house. You’d have thought I slapped her in the face.”

4. “I had my mom move in — after she sold her house post-COVID and was still in debt after selling with equity due to poor choices. I had three rules: 1.) Always remember it’s my house, 2.) I won’t charge rent, but you need to show me you are savings rent’s worth a month in an account, 3.) Never make me feel uncomfortable in my own home.”

“It lasted three months before she moved out on her own. Apparently, me letting her live rent-free at my house and having to be respectful of someone else’s rules (adapting to the lifestyle of the house as it was is a better way of describing it) was too much to bear. Left acting like a victim.

I had a very real conversation with her, stating that I will not be sacrificing my children’s future wealth to help her out. Her whole life she voted for all the nasty shit Republicans did to our social safety nets because God and abortion. I will buy her a tent, and a very nice one, but she will never move in with us again.”

5. “My boomer grandma freaked out because after she asked me to stay with her, I had the audacity to continue being a vegetarian, went shopping on my own to get some alone time, and did not read her mind that ‘I want to sell my car’ meant ‘Do all the work to sell my car for me.’”

6. “GF’s boomer grandma refused to use the $200 water purifier we bought because she ‘only drinks bottled water’ and constantly complained about it. We finally got her a personalized Hydro Flask for Christmas and banned bottled water from the house, and suddenly, it’s ‘I could get used to this, saves me a ton of money now that I don’t have to buy a pallet of bottled water every month.’ So f’ing annoying.”

7. “My boomer mother literally tried to tell me to stop being friends with someone because she thought they were a bad influence. I’m 30, I think I’m past the age of trying to live it up and trying drugs. She was pissed that I didn’t respect her.”

8. “My ex-girlfriend did this shit to me [letting her mother move in], and it led to our breakup about two months later. Anyway, she made us adhere to her rules and tell us what we could do in our own house. My ex acted like it was such a blessing. THEN, her mom started telling her she needed a man who would take better care of them and to dump me.”

“I listened to them hatch this whole plan out, while they thought I was sleeping, of how they were going to take everything and move in with this loser that had ‘wealthy’ parents. So I started packing my shit, and moved out within a week of hearing that. After I left, my ex got tired of her mom and made her move in to some cheap slum apartment across town and fend for herself.”

9. “I’m Gen X, and my boomer parents moved in with my family. One night my husband and I went out and weren’t home at the time my mom thought we should be. The phone call came, asking where we were — my husband was not pleased. The next day I had to remind my mother that I AM 50 F’ING YEARS OLD.”

10. “I bought a house with an in-law apartment because my mom couldn’t afford rent after divorcing my dad (who raked her over the coals in court for three years). She finally now understands why I was struggling, and that she can now empathize with younger generations because she struggled to pay her rent while working for the state. She’s always been one of the good ones, but damn if it wasn’t infuriating seeing her give herself the grace I deserved when I was struggling.”

11. “My mom accused me of starving my dogs because I fed them measured amounts twice a day in line with their calorie needs to maintain a healthy weight. On top of it, one was fresh out of the shelter and still recovering from a tapeworm and heart worm infection. He was getting a bit extra and putting on weight fast, but she didn’t know that. I asked her why she was yelling as calm as could be, and it literally jammed her up like a wrench in the gears. It was glorious. Then I realized, I have power.”

12. “My boomer dad just turned 69. He moved in with me and my two children a year ago. I live in a small two-bedroom apartment. I told him no smoking in the house, but I caught him smoking on several occasions in my bathroom, and then the whole house will stink. I’m working on getting him out. I asked him for some money to help out with bills and groceries, and he said, ‘Can you just leave me alone until the end of the month.’ He wasn’t supposed to be here permanently; this was only supposed to be temporary. Now I don’t have a living room, and I have a leech for a dad. I can’t wait to finally get him out.”

13. “My dad moved in with my sister, her husband, and their three kids. Yeah, she kicked his ass out. He was constantly making a mess, eating all the food, and yelling at the children. Also mix in all the recent wild Fox ‘News’ nonsense, yikes. He was an ass when we had to grow up with him, but at least back then, he somewhat tried to be a parent when we were kids.”

14. “I invited my boomer parents to live at my house for a few years so they could sell their house and save up for a while to buy something that they really wanted (as they circled the deathbed of my grandmother for the inheritance money). It was a mixed blessing. Some good came of it. A lot of bad. I’m not as close to them as I used to be, but it helped me out quite a bit at the time, and they were here during 2020 so it was nice to know they were ‘safe’ even though they weren’t being safe…because boomers.”

“That said, unlike a lot of other people, my boomers were there for me when I needed them. I had to move homes a few times in my 20s and once in my 30s, and they always welcomed me back with grace. So helping them and living through a few years of frustration hearing their boomer rhetoric come up through the floor was the least I could do. And the most I was willing to do.”

15. “Don’t get me started. My parents live with me, I take care of them, and they still treat me like shit. They’re alive because of me. I revolve my life and calendar outside of work around their medical needs. My stress is so high, and it’s not going down. They’re so mean and entitled.”

16. “My parents had to move in with me and my husband for a few months several years ago. It was PAINFUL. My mom kept rearranging furniture and the kitchen drawers. To top it (all) off, I was deep into wedding planning, and she wanted nothing to do with that except to tell me what she expected the seating chart to be and that I had to have fine china on my registry despite me saying numerous times I didn’t want china. Oh, she also burned several cigarette holes in the couch on our porch and didn’t even apologize, just saying, ‘It’s not like it’s a nice couch anyways.’ Longest three months of my life.”

17. “I actually purchased my home specifically so my father could move in with me. In-law suite on the first floor. Why? Why? Why? My father has gone full boomer. There is no way in hell that man can move in with me. I would rather sell my house than him move in.”

18. And lastly, ”‘No.’ Is a complete sentence. My Texan in-laws did not plan for their retirement, and always told my husband they would live with him since he’s the oldest son. They refused to help us — including babysitting their grandkids while their son was in the hospital with a burst appendix. When they complain they can’t afford retirement and need a cheaper place to live, I respond, ‘That’s too bad, but we have no room for you here.’”

You can read the original thread on Reddit.

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.