The Most Awkward Part of Living With Your Parents as an Adult

As a stand-up comic who has lived on and off with my parents throughout adulthood, I sometimes tell this joke: “So I’m weird because I’m 30 and live with my parents, but you’re normal because you’re 30 and live with your wife and kids? You still live with your family, loser.” It speaks to a common insecurity among my generation, but an insecurity that does not reflect household trends: Millions of American adults have moved in with one or both of their parents during the pandemic. These returning masses, however, might empathize with my occasional embarrassment around one aspect of this new norm: dating.

I once referred to my mom by her first name—I usually just call her Mom—when she walked in on a FaceTime date. I’ve stopped talking to Hinge matches who asked about my living situation.