This is a situation I'm well aware of. Many families live in the same house, because these houses in some cases, were built for that very reason, so the families could be together. One reason was financial, another reason was land been divided up, The father for example had to build one house for say two sons. This is going of the subject briefly, but when you are in a situation like the question above, you have to TRY to make it work! Three bedrooms should be O.K. and having the two bathrooms is the plus! The key word here, is tolerance. On all parties involved. The daughters husband, who is unemployed, until he finds a job again, should be the major helper around the house, yard work, maintence etc. The daughter, if not working, should be prepared to do cooking and chores to help her Mother, as they are older, and have been gracious to open there home, and forgo their peace and quiet! It would need a good schedule to work out all the chores, dog walking etc. When things are really tough, you have to try to make it work, and there will always be some days when things are nervy to say the least, but with the right organization and rules, it should be able to work until better times pop up.

I lived in Hawai'i for 13 years where housing is expensive, and many people from many Asian cultures live where it is much more acceptable to live with extended family. I have seen countless incidences where more people than this lived together in harmony. So of course it depends on the people involved and their expectations. People who are used to privacy or quiet will be rattled. That's also a lot of dogs - but that doesn't mean it can't work. No one will know until they try it.

It works best when people have the intent to get along, and act respectfully to one another.

Also when people are clear about their expectations in lieu of stuffing it until they bubble over with rage

First of all, both families need to respect one another. Second, they need to be up front about expectations such as, cleaning, cooking, paying bills, etc. In my experience, the expectations of how the situation will work and how it actually works is the main reason for conflict. If and when a conflict arises, it should be dealt with immediately. Small irritations or disagreements can lead to arguments, hostility, and resentment. Even though this living arrangement will likely be temporary, it could lead to longer-lasting relationship problems if not handled well.

I don't think it will work for an extended period. My calculation is that there are three bedrooms. Each couple will need one. That leaves only one for all three children. Yes they could get by for a while; but, this is not a good long term solution.

It may be more practical if the husband of the daughter is the only one with a job. That is because he will be the only one with a real schedule for getting up and out (and using a bathroom). But on the other hand, if he is the only one with a job, or if he remains unemployed, the financial crunch will tear the group apart.

My prediction is that this will work as an emergency measure for a few months; but, will be a disaster if a longer period is attempted.

Also, if it is attempted as a short term measure; but, circumstances stretch it out into the long term, then that could have a disastrous impact too. The unfortunate family is between a rock and a hard place.

Also, pets are the least of their worries. They might make a polite excuse for saying no; but, other than that they are just pets. Worry about the people, that's a big enough problem.

I (25) and my husband (27) recently lived with my inlaws (who are now in their 60s) for a while. No kids, no dogs, just 4 adults and one cat, in a 3 bedroom, 2 bath house.

The difficulty with us was that, the only place we really had to call our own was my husband's old bedroom. Yes, we had free reign throughout every part of the house, but just that tiny room was ours.

Also we couldn't be intimate and have random 'intimate' moments. This really put stress on our relationship (it was showing too), as before we could be spontaneously initimate, or just plain walk around the house in just our underwear.

In terms of logistics: Showering was never an issue, I shower at night, everyone else in the morning. Dinner was mostly cooked by them, though I did help out where I could. Laundry was done when convenient. I didn't watch too much TV, so channels were never fought over, and if we wanted to we could have gone down to the basement to watch what ever we wanted. There was 1 PC and 2 laptops, and all 4 of us didn't find a need to be on a computer at any point in time.

I tried to give my mother in law money for the food we were eating, but she wouldn't have it! :O) And that's why I love her so much. :O)

My adviCe (tee hee hee) is, everyone should be respectful of others. It helped that we all liked each other as well. :) That's really it, everything else falls in line. No one left messes, we each picked up after ourselves, we didn't get in each other's way and we were all mature about the situation.