My youngest son had a good job, was successful and was able to take good care of his young family. With two children three and under things were looking up for him and his family.

Then it happened and he became a victim like so many others, He lost his job because his boss couldn’t afford his services (he’s a project manager), they could no longer afford to pay rent and things took a grim turn for the worst.

There came a time when it was impossible for my son’s family to remain independent and the alternatives were few. That meant that it was time for my husband and I to step in and help out. I recall a time when I too was in dire need of help. It was back in the 60’s and I was the single mother of four children and in a grim financial position. My ex-husband was in legal trouble and wound up in jail and even though my parents helped as much as they could it wasn’t enough to sustain us. We had to do what I vowed never to do…ask for State assistance. I hated it and began a training program to become a nurse as quickly as I could. I married right out of high school and had no formal training or real education to hold a job that paid enough to support four kids.

As of a week ago, my son and his family moved in with us into our small home in a retirement community. Sadly, there are time restrictions on how long they can stay with us (90 days is the rule) and if I want them to stay longer it will require some heavy duty begging before a tribunal of our HOA’s Board of Directors. I dread that since I pay my dues on time, every year, and never break any rules. Many others in my neighborhood already have family members under the age of 18 living with them and never bother to report this fact to the HOA; I did so I am hoping that they will give me some consideration when I ask for more time for my family to stay here.

My son spends his days looking for work and my daughter-in-law spends hers watching the two babies. They can do no more and even though we are a bit crowded and I am no longer used to the sounds that babies make throughout the day and night, there is a sense of satisfaction having all of them around. It feels like it must have felt back in the day when families routinely lived in one home and worked together to make life better for all concerned.

Maybe the solution is in the problem…maybe if we all came together to improve our lives it wouldn’t be as stressful when a recession such as the one we are currently experiencing hits. Just the sound of baby laughter and watching them play and grow would ease some of the tension. so far, this has been my experience.

I feel like I am paying it forward and at the same time repaying a debt of gratitude that I have for the time when my parents took me and my kids in. It feels very good.