We spoke with five people from Atlanta to rural Germany and the UK whose households range from grandparents to three couples who own a farmhouse
In Atlanta, Carolyn Martinez, 65, lives in a household spanning four generations – and a lifelong friendship. Her 90-year-old mother, who has lived with her for more than 40 years due to various disabilities, shares the house with Martinez, 65, her adult daughter, aged 25, and her granddaughter, aged three months. “My mum has lived with me literally all my adult life,” she says. “She just wasn’t able to live by herself.”
The household also includes Martinez’s best friend of more than three decades, who originally moved in “for a few months” after a divorce. That was 25 years ago. “I could not have raised my daughter as a single mother without her,” Martinez says. When her friend, now aged 79, was diagnosed with breast cancer a few years after moving in, the arrangement became permanent. “There was no point in her leaving,” she says. “By then she was an integral part of our household.” Her friend is now “Tía” (auntie in Spanish) to her children and grandchildren, a role Martinez says reflects how deeply friendship can function as family.
Earlier this year, Martinez’s daughter moved back home when she became pregnant, adding another generation to the household. “How many grandparents can say they get to hold their grandchild every day?” she says. “It’s a blessing.” While the house can be busy and hectic, it’s also “a lot of fun” and Martinez says having multiple adults around makes life easier emotionally and practically. “There’s always someone to say: are you OK? Is there something you need?” she says. “You don’t have that if you live alone.”
