RP: SubStack -Big babies, fungus, and roomies
November 23, 2023
Getting the kids to leave, evolving mushrooms, and back to roommates.
Mother evicts kids - From a New York Post article (link) - Italian mom wins court battle to evict her ‘parasite’ grown sons from home. Their 74-year-old single mother refers to them mockingly as “bamboccioni,” or “big babies”.
I was surprised she would need a court order, rather than just change the locks and/or call the cops. Nope, apparently, in Italy it’s not uncommon for adult children to still live with their parents. In fact, in 2022, this was 70 percent of adults 18-34 years old, with officials blaming economic conditions and a poor job market. So it’s the norm there, with the assumption parents must support their children. Both these boys, in their 40s now, were employed, but not helping with chores or finances. They refused to leave and hired a lawyer. The judge ruled enough was enough and they’re out.
Not leaving home, or moving back in, is becoming more common everywhere, probably due to a combination of COVID lockdown, high rents, and fewer jobs. It could work and be a win-win for parents and kids. Or not. Maybe it’s helicopter parents trapped in a scenario of their own making. Maybe it’s kids seeing an easy free lunch. Feel free to speculate.
I know I couldn’t wait to leave home as soon as I could, in fact, the feeling was mutual. I came home after one all-nighter hanging out at a friend‘s place, to find a suitcase packed out on the back porch and the door locked. We’d only been up chatting over coffee, but I hadn’t mentioned (again) that I was staying out. I needed that nudge, and moved to an apartment downtown, only a few blocks away. It was better all around, I think, as there were four of us in a two-bedroom apartment and we managed to get on each other’s nerves at times.
There’s a fungus among us - According to Phys.org (link), it’s been discovered that mushrooms can now infiltrate right into living trees and plants. As opposed to just dead logs on the forest floor. Are we next, as we walk through a local park down a forest trail or slumber in the woods on a camping trip? The article says, “Fungal spores float through the air. Thin strands of their mycelia creep along surfaces. They seek out defenceless hosts to wrap themselves around in webs of fungal growth. Their victims can then be used to satisfy their own need to devour and disperse.” Sounds spooky to me, and in fact was a plot element in a recent series, The Last of Us (link). Plus other movies, books, and a song from the 50’s, There Was a Fungus Among Us (link). Check it out, do a little dance . . .
More roommates - Is the above sink typical of your roomie experience? The Globe and Mail (link) wonders if in 10 years we will be a country of roommates. Not a huge total now, but it is the fastest-growing household type. Driven by higher living expenses, especially food, and an obsession to save enough to live the dream of buying that cute little hone for only $1 Million.
Many of us suffered through roomies as college students, but now it’s adults in their 20s and 30s. Even some single seniors. When my kids moved out and I was finding it expensive/annoying to maintain a house in S’Norleans, my advisor said I could get a roommate or sell and move. I’m now downtown in a nice apartment - on my own!
We might have been more tolerant in college of the trials and tribulations of roommates, as sharing is not always like an episode of Friends. Unlike in the hierarchy of a family, chores, rules and boundaries can’t be easily enforced. It seems that with more than 4 sharing there’s always one jerk that just doesn’t care and needs to just move back into momma’s basement.
BTW - no, that’s not a pic of my messy counter. My kitchen is smaller.
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