In the midst of various lockdowns, one of the key decisions that many individuals faced was where they chose to hunker down for the foreseeable future, with a significant number returning to family homes. As a result, young adults across the country have had to readjust to sharing a living space with siblings. As the UK settles into its third national lockdown, I take a look at people’s experiences of living back with their siblings throughout the Coronavirus pandemic.
March 2020 saw a wave of 18-30 year-olds across the country travelling back to their home towns and cities. As universities and offices closed, student and working populations abandoned expensive city accommodation in favour of family homes offering more space, better internet connection or outside areas. For others, the roll out of redundancies and furlough schemes meant that the cost of city living was simply no longer affordable.
As a result, many families across the country who were previously living apart found themselves going into lockdown under the same roof. The unprecedented circumstances caused by Covid-19 meant that many young people were going to be living with brothers or sisters again, a situation that many may not have experienced properly for years. I spoke to three young people who offered different descriptions of their lockdown experiences with their siblings.
Lucy (23) moved out of her family home 4 years ago, but due to the impact of the pandemic moved back home in August to live with her mum and sister (21). Describing her feelings towards returning to her family home, she said “I was going from living with two of my best friends to back with my family, and given that my sister and I had never been particularly close, I was expecting to feel much more bored and lonely than I had been during previous lockdowns”.
However, Lucy found that living with her sister has been positive for their relationship. She added: “Living with my sister again has allowed us to bond as adults over new shared interests and experiences such as university, work out trends or our favourite cocktails, which has brought us closer than we were at the start of the pandemic”.
While some sibling relationships have experienced positive changes, it is evident that others have suffered under intense lockdown restrictions.
Hannah (24) has been living with her brother (22) since she moved back home in July, and described the living situation as “very up and down”.
“I am used to living with like-minded housemates where we agree on most things. I now find a heated conversation over a topic like free school meals infuriating”
Hannah noted that the most challenging part of living with her brother again has been their difference in views, goals and values. She said, “I am used to living with like-minded housemates where we agree on most things. I now find a heated conversation over a topic like free school meals infuriating, and it generally descends into name-calling. We now actively avoid each other and I haven’t spoken to him in days.”
Tom (20) moved home after being made redundant from his job in London and described similar difficulties. Discussing living with his brother (24), he said: “When I used to visit home for a couple of days I would really enjoy seeing him, but living with him again has been completely different. We’ll get annoyed at each other for stupid things like taking each others phone charger or using the last of the cereal which didn’t happen while I was living away from home.”
“I think I would find living with my parents again more difficult if he wasn’t here”
Tom also acknowledged the positive elements of living with his brother, which included being able to have a drink or watch sports together. He added, “I think I would find living with my parents again more difficult if he wasn’t here”.
After moving out of home, it’s fair to suggest that most people do not expect to co-habit with their siblings again beyond the realm of a family birthday or holiday celebration. Yet, in the wake of Covid-19, this is the position that young people across the country have found themselves in. For some, spending extended periods of time together while the nation is literally confined to their homes has granted an unexpected opportunity to reconnect. Others have struggled to coexist, learning that they have a healthier relationship with their siblings when they live apart.
Much like romantic or parental relationships, it is clear that sibling relationships are feeling the ongoing effects of the pandemic in varying ways. Whether these relationships are fuelled by comfort or conflict, sibling dynamics constitute another significant element that people will continue to navigate and adapt to in Lockdown 3.0.
Featured image courtesy of Annie Spratt via Unsplash. Image license found here. No changes have been made to this image.
