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

Question 1

I used to live with my parents but we visited my grandparents quite often. It was really nice to be able to see my grandparents. They often liked to spoil the grandkids, buying us treats all the time.

Question 2

I think it can get difficult sometimes when my parents would argue with my grandparents. They come from different generations and have very different views on things.

Question 3

I absolutely love living alone. I have been happy since the first moment I moved away from my parents. Everyone in my family has strong personalities and many different opinons so we often argue about trivial things. I love my parents but they can be too overbearing and I love being independent too much. I'm the only one that has moved out of my parents' home. My older brother and younger sister still live with them.

Question 4

My best friend's parents are empty nesters. She said that her parents became closer when she and her brother moved out. She moved out the same time I did, back in 2018. I think at first they felt lonely, but she would visit them often. And eventually they spent more time together and even made more investments in property together. They made a new house in Manila and bought some farm land in the countryside so they kept themselves busy too!

Question 5

In the Philippines, many parents expect at least one of their children to stay home with them through their senior years to care for them. But, in my family, that isn't something we normally do. I think most of the parents of my friends who are empty nesters either travel more or find ways to get busy like start their own business or upgrade their house and make it more comfortable for their retirement.

Question 6

I don't intend to have children so I don't think I'll ever know what it feels like to be an empty nester. But, in the case of my parents, for example, I think they'll have fun at first and travel a lot but will miss us and be sad for a bit. Then they'll probably look for other ways to keep themselves busy and be okay. I also think they will eventually move to a smaller home which will be easier for them to manage.

Tough Vocabulary

Question 1

I do not live in a three generation household, nor do I want to. I think one advantage is that there is always a person who can look after children.

Question 2

I think there would be a lack of privacy.

Question 3

Yes, I have lived alone and I loved it! I am a person her enjoys solitude and my own company. When I first lived by myself, I felt that I was free.

Question 4

I have a lot of friends who have left home as it is normal in NZ for people to move out of the house at 18. They may return for holidays or special occasions.

Question 5

They can travel much more.

Question 6

No, I haven't. But I cannot wait until that happens.

Tough Vocabulary

- English -	- Japanese -
look after	世話をする
lack of privacy	プライバシーの欠如
solitude	孤独
my own company	自分で