- Do you live in a 3 generation household? If no, how many generations do you live with? There are many advantages to living in 3 generation households, name one.
- There are many disadvantages. Name one.
- Have you ever lived alone? If yes, explain how that felt at first compared to living as part of a family. If no, do you think you are the kind of person who would enjoy and be good at living alone? Why?
- Empty nesters are individuals or couples whose children have grown and left home but who stay in the family home rather than downsize. Tell us about an empty nester who you know (it can be your parent(s), a friend, a colleague or a family friend). How many kids were there in the family home before the kids left? When did the last kid move out? Did they react well or badly to becoming an empty nester? Why?
- There are many things that empty nesters can do that they couldn't do when they were still looking after children. Name something that Japanese empty nesters often get involved in.
- Have you become an empty nester? If yes, how do you feel about that? Is it 'freedom at last!' or do you feel lonely now that your kids have moved out? If no, how do you think you would feel?
Question 1
There are only two generations of people living in my home. My wife and I are of the same generation, Generation X, and our daughter is of the new Generation Alpha. If we had one of our parents living with us, my wife and I might be able to go out to dinner or see a movie alone together once in a while. Having more people in the house means more people around to help, though I guess they technically don't need to be of a different generation.Question 2
I think there would be a lot of "backseat parenting". I imagine the member or members of the older generation would constantly be giving unsolicited advice on how best to raise a child. Though this would no doubt be helpful from time to time, I think it would drive me crazy in the long term. Also, it would just be too crowded, especially in a Japanese home.Question 3
I actually moved out of the family home into a share house with two other guys. That was when I first moved to Japan. Though the members of the house changed over the course of two years, there were always three of us. When I moved out of that place, I moved into another three-person share house. During that time, one of my roommates moved out and another guy moved in. Always three. Eventually, I moved out of there and got my own place. And it was GREAT. Unfortunately, I only lived there about a year before my future wife and I moved into another place together.Question 4
My aunt on my mother's side hasn't downsized since my cousin moved out so I guess she counts. He (my cousin) is an only child so my aunt didn't have to wait too long before she had the place to herself. He moved out about the same time I came to Japan, maybe a bit earlier, in the early 2000s. My aunt has been enjoying life since then, as far as I know. She takes regular trips to other cities and countries each year. At least, she did prior to COVID. She's probably travelling less these days.Question 5
I am far from an expert on Japanese empty nesters so I don't really have an answer for this. In my experience though, I have met a lot of people through eikaiwa over the years who probably qualify. Learning English is a popular hobby for many Japanese people. I'm guessing that that includes a lot of empty nesters.Question 6
I have yet to become an empty nester myself. Actually, I am only relatively new to being a father – my daughter is five years old at the time of writing this. I am in no hurry to see her go just yet. However, when the time comes, I think I will have mixed feelings about it all. I will be happy she is moving on with her life but I'm sure I will be sad to see her go.Tough Vocabulary
| - English - | - Japanese - |
|---|---|
| once in a while | たまに |
| backseat driving | 後部座席の運転 |
| unsolicited advice | 未承諾のアドバイス |
| from time to time | 時々 |
| drive someone crazy | 誰かを狂わせる |
| in the long term | 長期的には |
| share house | シェアハウス |
| over the course of | の間に |
| only child | 一人っ子 |
| far from an expert | 専門家からはほど遠い |
| in no hurry | 急いでいない |
| when the time comes | 時が来たら |
| mixed feelings | 混合感情 |