Every cloud has a silver lining, as the saying goes. We have all lived under a very large grey cloud in 2020, with just about every piece of bad news one can imagine bombarding us daily - a deadly global pandemic that will just not go away, political hatred and lies being disseminated at a government level, forest fires at a scale never seen before, and global economic hardship.

Even if, like me, you are the eternal optimist, even your enthusiasm and self-belief system is on the verge of breakdown.

At times like this it is easy to give up hope. You might just feel panicked and think that you and your family would be better off escaping it all; to maybe just sell your home quickly to American Home Buyer and head into the wildness until this is all over! Not an answer, I’m afraid!

However, one benefit of the new normal is that families have literally been forced to spend more time together than in recent history. A 2020 survey has shown that a much need benefit of the pandemic has been the rerun to the family breakfast table routine.

A General Mills survey has cited the result that 73% of families with children of school age say that they have been more able to spend time with the kids before starting work and the school day. Of those surveyed, 53% stated that they discuss the news over the breakfast table, and now 48% say that they find breakfast less challenge than before the pandemic (down for 70% pre-pandemic).

There are generational shifts in regard to how families are living together. A recent survey from the Pew Research Center has revealed that for the first time since the end of the Great Depression in 1940, a majority of young adults (52%) aged 18-29 years now live with one or both of their parents.

Given that in modern times, there have been increasing tensions between younger adults and their parents, this is an opportunity for family bonds to be rebuilt, and mutual understanding to grow.

How To Build Bonds With Young Adult Children

It is very important to use the extra time that we are forced to stay under the same roof, in a constructive manner. One way is to build in family schedules, for example

• Chores

• Cooking

• Movie watching

• TV time

• Exercise

Computers and phones are a lifeline right now, and you may want to use video face time services like What’s App, or Zoom (you’ll find a useful guide to using Zoom on the Millennium Geospatial website blog.

Young adults love gaming – over 164 million Americans (that’s 65 percent of adults) are regular gamers, with 38 percent of video game players coming from the 18 to 34 age demographic. But even older adults are fully engaged in gaming, with 6% being over 65%. So you are never too old. Why not use this activity to bond with your young adult? Maybe show them the ropes to your classic games that you played when you were growing up! A fun idea might be to buy matching  video game-themed t-shirts or hoodies from  Teerextee.com to complement your game nights. Young people love these, and you can share the gamer lifestyle together!

Try to implement some of these ideas into your extended time in the family home, and you may find that in no time you are enjoying a second parenting round with your young adult child. Have fun!