There were 2 years when my sister, brother and myself lived in the apartment complex in NYc. My sister and I had our first child. It was nice we could visit whenever we wanted. My brother and his wife were our built in babysitters. When my parents came into the City they were able to see all of us.
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My 2 brothers and I live within 10 minutes of each other. When my older brother was alive, he lived 15 minutes from me. I appreciate being so close without being on top of each other.
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My sibs and I mostly have houses within 5-10 miles of one another. The furthest brother is maybe 25 miles away. My mom’s house is <2 miles away and her CCRC is about 3 miles from our house as well. Pre-Covid, we would gather about monthly or more often. When the kids were young, we’d often gather at my folks house for swimming and dinner.
Sadly my kids live 3000-5000 miles away but have been having long visits during these Covid times. In S’s case, he’s made multiple flights here. D just stays for up to months at a time.
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Sweetgum - I read about the Brandi Carlisle ‘compound’ months ago and remain fascinated by it, lol.
I enjoy hearing all the different perspectives here!
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My grandma lived with us. She had her own room and helped take care of us kids. She was an easy to get along with, positive person and I loved her presence. My dad fought with her constantly. My mom did not but later admitted she has wished for time to be alone with us.
My dad grew up on a compound: one big house surrounded by several smaller ones on a downtown city block in small town. He loved it. Cousins, aunts and uncles, constant action. They were all in business together in a business that was against the law. That also drew them close!
H has a friend who lived in an urban compound for decades. He bought an apartment building. The friend, his wife, and their kids lived on the top flour, with her family in lower floors. The friend and his wife worked long hours and her sibs cared for the kids. One of her brothers stayed home for that purpose. When their kids grew up, some stayed at the compound and others moved out. The wife died and after that the friend sold the whole building.
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