FEBRUARY 4 • 2021 | 13

But he added, “It’s also great 
to have other people around, 
and my parents are endlessly 
generous. We take turns cook-
ing, which is also interesting 
because we all eat different 
things. Valerie and I both 
work California hours, so we 
are often still working when 
my parents have already eaten 
dinner, but we are all together 
on weekends, especially for 
Shabbat meals. And Ariella 
loves going to Zoom shul with 
Grandpa, especially Havdalah.
”
As the time for Lisa Ellias’ 
children and granddaughter to 
go back to California nears, she 
is sad to see them go but is filled 
with happiness that they could 
be here.
“We are going to miss them 
so much when they leave,
” she 
said. “In the midst of so much 
tragedy and disruption, we have 
been given a real gift.
”

FAMILY DYNAMICS
At 23, Melissa Hall is among 
those in the largest age-catego-
ry of young adults living with 
their parents because of the 
pandemic. That group includes 
more than 26.6 million indi-
viduals, or 52% of Americans 
aged 18-29, the most ever, 
even higher than at the end of 
the Great Depression, accord-
ing to a September 2020 Pew 
Research Center report. 
The report showed 23% of 
them said the most important 
reason was because their col-
lege campus had closed and 
18% said it was due to job loss 
or other financial reasons. 
After living in Ann Arbor 
for four years while she was an 
undergraduate student at the 
University of Michigan, Hall 
stayed there and has worked 
as a research coordinator in 
Michigan Medicine’s psychiatry 
department since May 2019. 
Her decision to move back 
to her mom, Janet Reinhart 
Hall’s West Bloomfield home, 
and her dad, Jeffrey Hall’s 
Bloomfield Hills home, came 
after realizing the difficulties 
of working virtually from her 
small apartment. “I felt that 
through such an isolating time, 
it would be nice to at least have 
my family to lean on,” she said. 
“I luckily have been able to 
keep my current job. Although 
some of my job tasks have 
changed, I am thankful to still 
be gaining great experience 
and have the opportunity to do 
new things there. And I recent-
ly had someone take over the 
lease on my apartment, so that 
is definitely a perk, to not have 
to pay rent anymore in Ann 
Arbor.” 
Another bonus was getting 
to see her older brother who 
came from out of state to visit. 

“He was able to return a few 
times — safely — over the past 
couple of months,” she said. 
Hall said she and her parents 
have created their own sys-
tem for being in shared space. 
“There are definitely more 
distractions being at home, but 
overall, I think the logistics have 
been working out well,
” she 
said. “When I came back home 
in March, I just became com-
fortable and got into a routine. 
“
Also, I realized that many 
of my friends were doing the 
same. Although we couldn’t 
hang out in the same capacity, 
as summer rolled around, I felt 
thankful to be able to see them 
more often than if I were in 
Ann Arbor. I plan on staying 
here through the summer and 
then hopefully go to graduate 
school.
“I think I have grown closer 
with my parents and our rela-

tionship definitely feels more 
mature,” she said. 
Her mom agrees. “It’s been 
fantastic having Melissa 
home,” she said. “The one 
positive of COVID is that I’ve 
been able to see my children 
more often. It’s been an espe-
cially unique and fun time 
working together from home.”
Being in the Detroit area 
community again has had a 
positive impact on Melissa. “It 
feels nice to be able to appre-
ciate the places where I grew 
up,” she said. “It also feels like 
I’m a child again, living with 
my parents, and with all of 
my childhood friends back at 
home.”

BETTER OFF NOT ALONE
Living in a group may have its 
obstacles, with each individ-
ual, couple or family used to 
their own schedule, privacy 

continued on page 14

“I THINK I 
HAVE GROWN 
CLOSER WITH 

MY PARENTS.”

— MELISSA HALL

“IT’S VITAL 
TO DISCUSS 
WHAT THE 
BOUNDARIES 
[OF SHARING A 
HOME] WOULD 

LOOK LIKE.”

— PSYCHOTHERAPIST 
RONALD E. HORMEL

Ronald E. Hormel