From Business Insider · Yaritza Betancourt · · 2m
At 40, I moved back to my mom's living room
Yaritza Betancourt, her husband, and toddler son share her mother's one-bedroom Boston apartment after her husband lost his job in California.
In brief
Yaritza Betancourt, her husband, and toddler son share her mother's one-bedroom Boston apartment after her husband lost his job in California. A forty-year-old woman moved her family into her mother's one-bedroom Boston apartment after her husband's job loss, finding the tight quarters challenging but ultimately…
A family moves into one bedroom
Yaritza Betancourt, her husband, and toddler son now share her mother's one-bedroom Boston apartment. They sleep on a convertible sofa and air mattress in the living room.
Why they left California
Yaritza's husband lost his job in two thousand twenty-five. After two decades in California, where she'd pursued acting, the family decided to move to Boston for childcare support and a fresh start.
Her mom welcomed them in
When Yaritza called her mother about moving to Boston, she was thrilled and offered her one-bedroom apartment as temporary housing. They booked one-way tickets to Logan Airport and moved in.
Sharing space creates friction
The living room became cluttered with clothes and suitcases. They rented a storage unit for most belongings. Yaritza's son's early bedtime closes the living room to her mom's nightly TV watching, creating awkward moments.
Conflicting schedules and routines
Yaritza's mom is an early riser who gets up at six thirty am to clean and run errands.
The benefits outweigh the costs
Her mom watches her son while Yaritza showers and attends job interviews. Her son spends time with his abuela and loves his preschool. The family has grown closer across the country divide.
Seven months in, they're thriving
It's been seven months since they arrived in Boston. Yaritza's husband found work, her son loves preschool, and she's focused on her career. She now sees the move as the right decision.
“It's OK to lean on family when necessary”
Reframing failure as family strength
At first, moving back at forty made Yaritza feel she'd failed at life.Now she knows it was the right choice.She and her family still hope to get their own place, but the arrangement proved worthwhile.
The short version
A forty-year-old woman moved her family into her mother's one-bedroom Boston apartment after her husband's job loss, finding the tight quarters challenging but ultimately worthwhile for family support and career opportunities.
