06/24/08 Living Together

I'm beginning to wonder if perhaps the "Waltons" didn't have the right idea. You know, the entire family from Grandpa and Grandma right down to little Jimmy Joe all living under one roof. In today's society of ever increasing fuel, food and housing costs it might not be something that unpalatable; it may in fact be the only way a lot of families will be able to survive. Of course with extended families residing together there would have to be rules to live by put in place immediately; respecting each other's privacy having top priority. In many cultures around the world the extended family is and has always been the norm. In fact it hasn't been that long ago that more American families than not lived together as a complex family unit. Current Americans however view our space and privacy as a God given right. But an economy that seems to be on a swift downward spiral may soon make that "right" a luxury of the past. Many families here in the United States may soon find themselves getting closer to their "roots" than they ever thought possible.