Reply #9: Mr. Brickbat and I lived with his parents for six months. We needed to when we were moving and were

[Brickbat]

between houses. They were very kind because we thought it would only take a month or two; it took six.

Good points:

* We all got along anyway, so getting along wasn't a big deal. We all had different schedules, and they had just put on an addition so we had our own bedrooms -- we didn't have to live in a family room, or something.

* They didn't charge us rent, even though we offered many times to pay it.

* There was always someone around to take care of the kids.

Bad points:

* There was some stepping in on -- not disciplining or child-raising advice, but sometimes identifying behavior they didn't like that didn't bother me. That rankled. If we had stayed there longer I'm sure it would have been an issue. So your "one concern" seems like a pretty big red flag for me.

One thing that made everything easier was that we tried to communicate as much as possible about what was working and what wasn't. As I said, we offered to pay, and they refused to take money, but then my MIL said if I could help out with the cooking that would be a big help. So I did.

Good luck. It can lead to a really neat relationship across generations, but, like any relationship and living arrangement, it takes a lot of communication and a willingness to discuss conflicts before they fester and turn into huge issues.