So you busted your bottom in high school and
managed to score straight As. You made sure to pad out your college applications
by enrolling in every after-school program your school had available, so you played varsity
football while also being the head cheerleader for your own games and captain of the chess
team! All the sacrifices were worth it though, because
you got a scholarship to your first-pick school- but like with many college students who get
scholarships, you still had to take out a huge loan to cover all the extra expenses. That's books, parking pass fees, meals, dormitory
expenses, school library fees, printer fees, campus breathable oxygen fees, and fees for
processing of your fees- but hey, you still did it, you shunned your social life and graduated
top of your class! You've done it, you've taken that bold first
step in the American dream and graduated college, now pack your bags, it's time to move back
home because your diploma means bupkis since every employer wants previous experience anyways
and you're saddled with so many student loan payments that you technically can't even afford
to be alive right now. Today we're once more turning to your favorite
Infographics Show Staff lab rat and challenging him to live like most modern American college
graduates, by having him move back home for thirty days! Day 1: So I had to do a lot of explaining
to my parents to even make this challenge possible. See, they know I'm a working writer out here
in Los Angeles, and they know about many of the things I've written, including some things
they've watched- but this whole challenge thing, well I never really bothered to tell
them. It's kind of an open secret, I don't really
hide it, but I don't really volunteer the information out either, it's never really
fun explaining just how weird your job can get to people. So I had my mom and pops watch a few challenges,
to which my mom immediately asked me how the girlfriend puts up with my life. Then she immediately felt bad for her and
ended up leaving our skype conversation so she could call her privately and make sure
that she was alright, and these challenges weren't stressing her out too much. HER! Not her son, her own flesh and blood who you
know, actually has to put himself, or his body, or his dignity at least, on the line
with each challenge, but the one who just gets to watch it happen. Clearly my mom has a favorite. My dad mostly thought it was funny, and he
really liked the eating the spiciest pepper challenge which just so happens to have been
the first official challenge episode by the way. As far as he's concerned, my safety or comfort
doesn't much matter, he just wants to make sure I'm being paid well. So long story short, they agreed to let me
fly home and live there for thirty days. I'm kind of hesitant about this to be honest,
I left home at 18 and only ever went back to visit, I haven't lived with my parents
in over a decade. I also really like my life out here in Los
Angeles, and they retired in a small town in Kentucky, so culture clash for sure- I
hated it out there, there's just so little to do. Then there's also the freedom thing, I just
enjoy having my own life and it's going to be weird living under their roof again. I mean I'm an adult now so I won't have chores
or curfews or anything silly like that, but it's just weird to not be independent, even
if only for thirty days. I guess I'll find out just how weird. So that's it, the girlfriend's taking me to
the airport later today and I'll be back home in time for supper. Weird, I never use the word supper. I've already starting to feel the effects
of this challenge. Oh, by the way, this isn’t just a thirty
day home-vacation, because of course I have mini-challenges to undergo during these thirty
days, but you’ll have to stay subscribed to find out what they are. See you guys in a week! Day 7: You should absolutely do everything
you can to avoid ever moving back in with your parents. Consider that a general piece of advice. It's not really about rules or anything like
that, it's just... I don't know, weird to the maximum to move
back home when you're an adult. I know a lot of people don't have a choice
in the matter, but if you can avoid it, you really should. If you are forced to move back home because
of financial situation, man, you guys are the real heroes out there. So, immediately upon landing it became obvious
to me just how different things are back home versus my life in California. I'm used to densely packed urban sprawl, with
the trendiest and shiniest new shopping and dining venues anywhere in the world spanning
block after block. Expensive cars, and people- typically women-
wearing equally expensive clothing and jewelry. Back home though, there's literally none of
that. In a way, it's really refreshing. In another, it's sort of depressing. I'm not the flashy type at all, but my first
few hours back home just really brought back how little there is to this place. One thing though- trees. Beautiful, big, green trees everywhere. LA doesn't have many trees, it's a coastal
desert, and you gotta drive out of town to see some pines. Here though there's trees of all shapes and
sizes, and they're everywhere. Oh and also, parking lots!!! If you've never lived in Los Angeles or New
York then you probably don't understand that parking lots are god's gift to his undeserving
children. Back home it can cost you upwards of fifteen
bucks just to park your car. Here, literally every place has a parking
lot. It almost makes me cry- or at least my wallet. So the first night went well enough. Parents asked me how things are going, though
literally the first question my mother asked when we sat for dinner was when me and the
girlfriend were getting married. She's kind of old school, and even though
we've both explained it to her numerous times, she still doesn't understand- or maybe just
doesn't like- that we're kind of not doing that. I had to remind her that we're both completely
committed to spending the rest of our lives together, maybe having kids one day, and that
we don't need a big ceremony or the government to make that official. Honestly, I just think she really wants the
ceremony. Hard to blame a mother. My parents are lucky enough to have hung on
to the house they bought while I was still in high school, so I get to sleep in my old
room- and that's a whole other level of weird. Me and the girlfriend have visited plenty
of times before, but I've always insisted on staying in a hotel. Mostly because since my mother is old school,
she won't let us sleep together in the same bed- even though again, we're basically married. To her, until it's official we're not allowed
to sleep together, at least not under her roof, and it's just so weird that she needs
a marriage ceremony before that's ok. Staying in this room has brought back a lot
of memories, but in so many ways it feels like I'm sleeping in a stranger's bed. The very last time I slept in this bed was
the night before I shipped out for basic training, and even though that was like twelve years
ago, it might as well be an entire lifetime away. Mornings in your parent's house are another
bit of weird. You're so used to your own routine, and then
you lumber into the kitchen and find your dad already there, and it sort of hits you-
this isn't your space, it's his. He's the alpha dog around here. You can't just stroll out in your underwear
to make yourself some tea, although he certainly gets to as I was unfortunate enough to find
out. When I ran into him and I yelled at him for
being in the kitchen in his boxers he reminded me that me and my sister moved out years ago,
and if he wants to walk around his house naked as the day he was born, then he very well
will do just that. Skipping past a very difficult readjustment
period, I tried to carve out my own routine under my parent's roof. I already feel like I don't have the freedom
I normally have in my own life, even though it's not like I'm living under any kind of
rules or anything. I just feel so.. restricted in everything
I do. Like I was a teenager again. Both of my parents are retired, so they're
home all the time. In order to avoid going stir crazy or having
my mom drive me insane by constantly asking me about marriage or grand kids, I decided
to rent a car and explore the town throughout my week. Even though it's been over a decade, literally
nothing has changed, though I guess I'm not surprised. All in all, this challenge is turning out
to be a real bore to be honest with you. Day 14: I skyped with the girlfriend today,
or at least I tried to but when my mother found out she took my ipad away from me and
basically hogged it the entire night talking to her. I told you, she very clearly has a favorite
in this relationship and it's not her own flesh and blood son. When they said their goodbyes my mother brought
me the tablet and very loudly said, “Such a beautiful, sweet girl, shame nobody wants
to marry her.” This challenge honestly couldn't end fast
enough. My second week under my parent's roof was
much like my first. I did get some chores assigned to me, or as
my dad put it- “If you're gonna be living under my roof rent-free you best pitch in
around here!”. They have a pretty big property and a decent
sized garden where they grow their own stuff, so I mostly helped out with outdoor work. My dad tried to push me and see if, as he
put it: “city livin's made you soft!”. Ha, if he thinks living with a fitness and
health nazi girlfriend makes you soft he's got another think coming. I've learned to not even leave my room until
about ten in the morning, which is when my dad officially decides to put on pants. My mom got on his case about it and he protested
very loudly that he “bought and paid for this damn house and he'll walk around pantless
if he feels like it.” I guess I can't fault him, a man's home is
his castle, and hey he's had a tough life, he's earned not wearing pants until ten am
if he doesn't want to. This week I went with my dad to a local VFW
post. For those of you who don't know, that's a
Veterans of Foreign Wars outpost that's kind of like a social club for veterans. It never really hit me until we went that
night, but we're both veterans, and both of us have the injuries that sadly typically
come along with that status. The weird thing is we both got them in what
is technically the same war, just at completely different times. I guess even though I know America has been
at war in Iraq and Afghanistan for two decades, it never really hit me until that realization. I've never liked going to any sort of veteran
events or anything like that, as far as I'm concerned, it's best to let sleeping dogs
lie. Walking into a room of vets, many of them
wounded in ways that are far more obvious than me and my pops, it was honestly just
a bad time. But there was a camaraderie there that is
hard to deny, and honestly, something that somewhere deep in my heart, I know I miss
every day. You just don't make friendships in the 'real'
world the way you make them when your life is on the line. I've been mostly hanging out with my dad this
week, and I'll admit it's nice to reconnect. When I visit it's typically only for a few
days at a time, Christmas is the longest stretch of time I'll ever come back home for. I guess we're both kind of gruff about it,
and don't really say things like “I missed you” to anyone other than the woman we love,
but I guess I really have missed him. Just not stumbling into him wearing nothing
but boxer shorts at 9 am. Day 21: Three weeks down, one week to go. Honestly, living with parents is turning out
to be so much more restrictive than I thought- even though I'm not restricted in any way,
shape or form. I think I'm just too wildly independent for
this whole experience, I am literally itching to get back to living in my own place. I spent more time with my mother this week,
and she took me to a few of the social things she does throughout the week. My mom's... we'll she's not like regular moms. She may be living in a small town, but she's
got no small-town mind. She's whip-smart, has about a half dozen more
college degrees than my dad, exercises vigorously, teaches her own karate class at the local
YMCA, and let's my dad roar all he wants around the house like a big lion, but it's obvious
to everyone that she's the one in charge..... and oh my god I just realized why my mother
and girlfriend get along so well. It all suddenly makes perfect, terrifying
sense. Wow, ok, sorry, had to take a moment to process
that. Anyways, one of our first trips together was
to the YMCA where she wanted me to help her teach her karate class. Now, I know my mom's super into fitness and
she's done martial arts for decades, but I thought she was like, teaching a class for
kids. No. She doesn't teach kids- well I mean she does,
since she teaches all ages, but she also teaches adult classes. And you know what they do in these classes? They spar. Yes, with head gear and protective equipment,
but they still physically spar against each other. And that's the story of how I ended up sparring
against my own mother. Yes, you heard that right, I had to fight
my mother. Now, it's been years since my training in
the military, but my mother always taught me as a kid- first tae kwon do, which she
taught me for what she called the “essentials”, and then she skipped straight to krav maga
because as my 50 year old, dear, sweetheart of a mother put it, “anything else is for-”,
and then she said a word we can't repeat because Infographics is a family show. Listen, I wasn't about to be the guy that
put his mother into a rear naked chokehold, or an arm bar until she tapped out, but I'll
tell you what- she sure as hell tried to be the mother that put her son into those exact
positions. We used to spar back when I was a teen, but
she was in her late thirties then and let me tell you, age hasn't done much to slow
her down. I came back home with an almost-black eye-
she faked me out with a low kick and got me with a left jab when I dropped my hands to
block her kick. My dad barely commented on it when we got
back home. He knows better- he's been on the receiving
end of their sparring sessions together more than once over their many decades of marriage. I feel like I've been watching them together
a lot over the last three weeks, and I'm suddenly aware of so many similarities between not
just me and my parents in the way we act at home, but between my relationship and theirs. It really is true what they say, you typically
end up with someone that reminds you of your mother. Day 31: I am back home in LA now, and my final
week of living with my parents was in many ways my most surprising. In one way, it was literally surprising- I
went fishing with my dad at the start of the week and when we got home that afternoon I
found out my mom had gone to the airport and picked up my girlfriend. Apparently they'd been in secret cohoots this
entire time and planned that she'd come stay for the final few days. If living with your parents alone is weird,
it's even weirder with your significant other. And it's even weirder when your mom is herself
acting weird and not letting the woman you've been with for six years, and committed your
entire life to, sleep in the same room as you. I suddenly remembered why I always insist
on getting a hotel when we visit- it's the silliest damn thing in the world to not be
allowed to sleep in the same bed just because we're not married. So she ended up taking the guest bedroom and
I stayed in my room, though you know what? It's real easy to sneak from one room to the
other in the dead of night. And it's kind of really fun. For the first time in this whole experiment,
I was actually enjoying living with my parents because sneaking her into my room late at
night made me feel like a kid again. My mom and girlfriend spent most of the week
together, and I spent a lot of time with my dad. There's honestly little friction between me
and my parents, even after so many weeks of living back home with them- we're all just
so independent that it doesn't really bother us. I feel like this experience would have been
a lot harder with a different family, maybe one that's more overbearing. Then there's also the fact that I am still
a functioning adult with a job, so I could afford a rental car to get away if I felt
like it. People who run into financial dead ends don't
really have that option. Like I said before, you guys are the real
heroes here. The week was honestly kind of uneventful. Except for one pretty glaring exception. We all went out to dinner together and me
and the girlfriend got some stares. Suddenly I remembered one of the reasons I
hated growing up here. In California, or even in New York, her and
I never get any attention for being a mixed race couple, but here... well, small town
sometimes means small minds. Nobody said anything, thankfully, but the
stares were very obvious at times. It made her uncomfortable- she grew up in
upstate New York and was definitely insulated against stuff like this as a kid. I am very cool, calm, and collected. I don't react until somebody's words or actions
actually hurt someone I love. My mother on the other hand... let's just
say she believes the best defense is a strong offense. When the stares became too much, she very
loudly threatened to, and I quote, “smack the googly eyes out of anyone who has a problem
with my beautiful daughter-in-law!” Did I mention it's a small town? Everyone knows she teaches martial arts at
the local Y, and that she very much meant it. The stares pretty quickly died down after
that. The same mother that threatened to publicly
fight a bunch of racists became a mess of tears when it came time to leave, although
I feel obligated to point out that at the airport she did the majority of her hugging
and tearful goodbye-ing with my girlfriend, instead of once more, her own son. I had a few hours on the plane ride to the
west coast to reflect on this whole experience, and I definitely wouldn't recommend someone
moving back home unless they absolutely had to. I guess maybe if you really miss your family
you could move down the block from them... or maybe like ten blocks away. Honestly, just try and keep it to a distance
where visits are common, but not too common. Be far enough away to discourage casual, everyday
visits is what I'm saying. Sure, it's weird living with your parents,
but even if you're an adult it just kind of seems like you slip back into an old rhythm. They end up in charge somehow- even if you
are actually an adult and not a kid anymore- and while you don't have to do everything
they say, you just sort of feel like you have to because you live under their roof. I kind of worry about people who never move
away, or who move away late in life- can you really become an independent person until
you finally live on your own? Again though, I know this isn't an economic
reality for some people, so I'm definitely not judging anyone. But it is something to consider. And speaking of things to consider, I find
myself thinking back to the last few nights at home, with all four of us living in the
same roof. Something's changed, I can feel it. Watching my mom and dad together for weeks
on end, their random arguments and just day to day life together... it's so obvious that
this is the future I want. And I know exactly who I want it with, because
she's been at my side through the best and worst of the last six years of my life. Maybe my mom's incessant nagging finally got
into my head, but, maybe there really is something to actually being married. To publicly, and officially, declaring that
you're in this forever together. Great. Thanks for turning my world upside down again,
Infographics Show. Have you ever had to move back in with your
parents? What was the experience like? Let us know in the comments, and go check
out our other challenge from the girlfriend's perspective, Chained To My Boyfriend For 72
Hours! And don't forget to Like, Share, and Subscribe
for more great content!
