Moving in With Nonna

These days the financial struggles are real, with groceries, housing, and basically everything costing a lot of money. That can make it hard for a young person to live on their own, especially with only one salary to support them.

A woman named Rachel Albi found herself in that situation, so she moved in with her 94-year-old nonna. Some might think that that kind of living arrangement would be a strain on the grandmother and granddaughter alike. However, in a sweet video posted to TikTok, Rachel proved otherwise.

“POV: you can’t afford rent, so you move in with your 94-year-old Italian nonna, and it’s the best decision you’ve ever made,” she wrote in a video montage.

A Mutually Beneficial Decision

In the video, Rachel shared clips of her nonna making fresh pasta and sauce, bringing her tea in bed, and waving farewell from the front door as she drove off. One look at the sweet grandmother’s face and it’s pretty clear that she adores her granddaughter.

In other clips, Rachel celebrates her grandmother’s birthday, chats with her, and helps her make food. Before the 59-second clip is over, it’s hard not to smile at how happy they both seem to be with their new living arrangement. So naturally, the sweet relationship drew plenty of comments.

“You gave Nonna purpose again! No more loneliness,” wrote one person. “This is how families should be,” wrote someone else. “The younger gaining knowledge and wisdom at the feet of their elders, and the elders feeling and being useful.”

“You can tell Nonna needed this just as much as you did,” added someone else. “You’re still her baby, and she just wants to take care of you.”

The Real Look of Success

Many of us grow up believing that in order to be successful, we need to afford our own place and go out on our own. But there are many parts of the world where grown adults continue to live with their parents, creating communities in the household that are mutually beneficial and full of love.

As parents age, they may need their kids or grandkids in the house to help take care of them. They, in turn, may continue to have drive and purpose by helping to look after the house and others who live in it.

At the end of the day, it’s relationships — not material things — that matter. Everyone’s situation is different, and people need different things. But by redefining our expectations of what success and living situations should look like, we can all embrace the sheer beauty of situations like Rachel and her nonna’s.