Multi-Generational Home

This is the household section: what it is like to live under one roof in Anthem, Arizona, with my wife Joanna, my brother Eric, our two kids, my dad Mick, and my mom, Terrilyn. It is a three-generation household now. My grandmother, Donna Hancock, lived with us until she passed a little over a year ago. Down the road are my brother Tyler, his wife Sanni, and their six kids, and my brother Jared and his wife Allie, who is expecting.

Rhythms are how we make it work. The work of a full house is ordinary: a shared kitchen, a little privacy, schedules that don't line up, and the unglamorous systems that keep a shared life from turning into a daily negotiation.

If you are thinking about moving in with family, or already have, start with One Roof, Three Generations and What I'd Tell Someone About to Move In With Family. Kids in a House with a Grandparent is the piece about why we came home, and about children and grandparents sharing an ordinary day.

Nothing in this section is a family-counseling plan. It's one household, written plainly, plus practical notes you can borrow or ignore.