7:30 p.m. marks the start of my son’s bedtime routine.
First, I pull out our pillows and bedding from under the chaise sofa bed, which I share with my son.
Once our makeshift bed is set, I close the curtains separating it from the rest of the one-bedroom apartment. The tiny living room becomes our private oasis.
I can almost forget we’re at my mom’s place, sleeping on a convertible sofa she’d originally bought for our annual visits, while my 6-foot-3 husband sleeps on his own air mattress on the ground right next to us.
After my husband lost his job, moving in with my mom seemed like the right decision
Yaritza Betancourt
Squeezing into my mom’s small Boston apartment was never the plan.
Right after I graduated from college, I had moved to California to chase my Hollywood dreams of becoming an actor. During my two decades of living on the West Coast, I met my husband, got married, and became a stay-at-home mom.
However, our lives were turned upside down in 2025 when my husband lost his job. For the first time, we really started thinking about moving to Boston, where I had grown up and my family still lived.
I figured it would give us more flexibility with childcare, and a fresh start in a new city might be what we needed.
When I called my mom to tell her about our plans, she was thrilled. She’d been telling us to move to Boston for years, and said we could stay with her in her one-bedroom apartment until we found a new place.
So, we booked one-way tickets to Logan Airport and moved in with my mom.
It’s been challenging for all of us to share a one-bedroom apartment
Yaritza Betancourt
Arriving in Boston was exciting, but the transition to sharing a one-bedroom apartment was trying — we took over the entire living room. The room became cluttered, with our clothes and suitcases spilling into the hallway.
My mom expressed concern about the mess, so we rented a nearby storage unit for most of our belongings. Still, though, the things we need daily seem to take up a lot of space.
Yaritza Betancourt
Sharing a one-bedroom apartment required an adjustment not just for us, but for her too.
For example, my son’s early bedtime closes the living room off to my mom’s nightly TV watching. Honestly, it still feels awkward to kick my mom out of her own living room because I have to put my toddler to sleep.
Yaritza Betancourt
Plus, my mom is an early riser, often getting up at 6:30 a.m. to clean and run errands.
I can hear the sounds of domestic life filtering through the curtains that separate our “room” from the rest of the home. Cupboards opening, dishes being put away, and the smell of morning coffee lingering in the air like a wake-up call.
When tension rises because of our conflicting schedules and differing routines, I’ve learned to take a breather and step outside with my son to go for a walk or a drive. It often helps to ease the tension and remember this arrangement is only temporary.
However, it’s also nice having my mom’s support, and my son has gotten to know his abuela in ways that wouldn’t have been possible from across the country. She watches him while I take a shower and go to in-person or Zoom job interviews.
Every night, while I’m getting the living room ready for bedtime, he goes into her room and cuddles up next to her while she watches TV.
Even though things aren’t perfect, the arrangement is worth it
Yaritza Betancourt
At first, being back at my mom’s house after so many years of independence honestly made me feel like I somehow failed at life. By 40, I thought I’d have a successful career and a home of my own.
Now, though, it’s been seven months since we arrived in Boston, and honestly? We’re thriving. My husband found work, my son loves his preschool, and I’ve been able to focus on my career aspirations.
What I’ve learned through this whole process is that it’s OK to lean on family when necessary, and even though we’re still hoping to get our own place sooner rather than later, I know moving back to Boston was the right decision for me and my family.
