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- After my divorce, my kids and I moved in with my mom and stepdad. I couldn’t be a single parent without their support. (businessinsider.com)
Local Mother Finds Renewed Stability, Career Growth Through Multi-Generational Living
Local mom Alexandria Mooney (pictured with her sons) shares how a decision to move back in with her parents after her divorce transformed her life and that of her children, fostering new bonds and opportunities.
After facing the overwhelming challenges of solo parenting following her divorce, local mother Alexandria Mooney found an unexpected path to stability and growth: moving back into her childhood home with her mom and stepdad. What began as a half-joking idea quickly became a catalyst for positive change, allowing her to advance her career and strengthen her family’s connections.
Mooney’s journey began in August 2019 when her ex-husband moved out of state, leaving her as a solo parent to her two young sons, then aged two and five. She remained in their three-bedroom ranch, striving to create a stable environment amidst upheaval.
The house witnessed her divorce, served as a pandemic-era schoolhouse, and was the birthplace of her marketing agency, which she grew from her kitchen table. However, the emotional weight of her past marriage and the “invisible labor” of single-handedly managing a household became increasingly heavy.
“One icy morning in 2022, while dragging garbage cans down the driveway, I decided I couldn’t do it anymore,” Mooney recounted. A text to her mother and stepfather, “What if the boys and I moved in until I figured things out?” sparked the conversation that would lead to her family’s fresh start.
Initially, Mooney admits she felt a sense of embarrassment, fearing that others might perceive the move as a failure. However, her perspective quickly shifted.
“The truth wasn’t that I couldn’t afford to be in our house anymore – it was that I no longer wanted to,” she explained. The relentless upkeep and the quiet solitude of parenting alone each night had simply become too much to bear.
In March, Mooney and her sons moved into her childhood home. Her parents reside downstairs, while Mooney and her boys have taken over the upstairs, utilizing three bedrooms and a bathroom, including the very room she grew up in.
The space was refreshed with new rugs and a mix of family furnishings. Mooney sees her childhood bed, adorned with fresh sheets and a mirror from her sister, as a symbol of her transformation.
The most profound shift, Mooney says, has been the redistribution of the “invisible labor” that often burdens solo parents. “If you’ve ever sat at the table with two tired kids, trying to finish homework while cooking dinner and folding laundry, you know the overwhelm,” she said, highlighting the lack of a “tag-in” option in single-parent households.
Now, that burden is shared. Her stepdad often cooks dinner, her mom ensures the kids have healthy snacks, and household bills and groceries are split equitably.
The financial freedom gained from not paying rent or a mortgage proved to be a game-changer, allowing Mooney to invest the profits from her home sale into a startup she co-founded with her sister. This support has been crucial for her career growth, maintaining a flexible schedule, and enabling her to be the mother she aspires to be.
The benefits extend beyond Mooney to her sons. A self-proclaimed “grandparent person,” she cherishes watching her boys forge strong bonds with their grandparents.
Her stepdad is the go-to “fixer of broken toys” and shares holiday traditions, while her mom ensures they have supplies for creative projects. The boys also engage in long conversations about science and history with their grandparents-discussions Mooney often lacks the bandwidth for after a demanding day.
Mooney reflects that the hardest part of this transition wasn’t the physical move, but learning to ask for and accept help. After years of hyper-independence as a solo parent, allowing her parents to step in felt unnatural. Yet, over time, she realized that “accepting support didn’t make me less of a parent, it made me a stronger mother.”