If living independently is a dream come true among seniors then you might have heard of the horrors that come with multigenerational families as well. Multigenerational families or household are homes which house a family belonging to at least three generations long. There should be the grandparents, the parents, kids and sometimes even the “kids of the kids” so you can just imagine how chaotic that may be. On the other hand, I must admit, it has its own perks such as never having a chance to be lonesome—as it’s quite hard to be so when there’s roomful of people in every corner of your home—or perhaps the feeling of security we humans tend to have when surrounded by people, most especially with people we love and trust.

Whether it is good or bad for you emotionally, managing a multigenerational household is financially stressful. All three generations (except for the underage kids, of course) must be experiencing financial burdens of their own but the question is who gets the most financial stress of them all? Well, you’ve guessed it right, it’s the boomers, more particularly the one belonging to the sandwich generation.

It was said that families function with love for those they care about. They take care of their own and through love they will be able to tide over the worst of times however, giving part of yourself is different from giving part of your savings or hard-earned money. You need your money, who doesn’t anyway? But how would you say no to a family in need? And if you do, when is enough?

There is a resurgence of multigenerational household nowadays, partly because of the aftereffects of the recession. Seniors or retirees have lost their nest eggs, probably their homes too, younger adults getting the boot from their jobs, even you in the middle of it all must have lost something one way or another. The problem is, baby boomers tend to see things as their sole problem—like they are the only ones who should extend assistance to their aging parent, their kids and their grandkids which I think should not be the case. It is not bad to share your home especially if your intention is to financially assist your family but it should be a combined effort for all concerned. Your aging parent may not be of much help when it comes to money but they can certainly do other things to help you out, same goes for your adult kids who just moved in with you.

You might also want to talk it over with those concerned. Again, it is not bad to lay ground rules since it is your house and they are submitting themselves to your mercy, not that you won’t respect their person anymore but you have to make it clear that you have your own limits which they in return should also observe and respect.