A woman has inspired a conversation about unconventional families after revealing that she and her partner live in separate suites of the same house with their respective children.
n the clip, Hunt, who has two children, revealed that she and her partner, Peter, who has three children, live separately in the same house, with the 38-year-old explaining that the arrangement means the family lives “separately together”.
“My partner and I have five kids between us so we own a home that has two suites,” Hunt explained in the video. “We live separately, together. Blended, unblended.”
Unusual I suppose, but a good idea if you have the space!
Perfect if you’ve got the space and it means the kids aren’t forced to be one family too quickly, that can cause resentment.
When you have kids and take up with an new partner who also has kids they sort of get thrown in together as part and parcel of the arrangement and that can cause resentment.
Just because you two want to marry doesn’t mean the kids will bond.
Each relationship is different. If it works for them then why not?
I personally know of two couples in my circle of acquaintances where the couples are divorced but still living together due to joint debt, kids to raise, share expenses etc. It makes social and economic sense for them to live this way and suits their needs.
I’m glad people are openly talking about this trend.
Good luck to them, but basically all this woman has said is that herself & her boyfriend, have both brought flats in the same building. Why is that so gossip worthy?
Actually I have known a blended family that did a similar thing. They bought two adjacent flats, who stayed in which flat was a very fluid situation…
There is a great advantage for retired couples to do something similar they get two single pensions ($967.50 each) which is more than a couple’s pension ($729.30 each) and get the benefit of house sharing. All they have to do is show Centrelink two separate bedrooms.
I’m not sure what article you read but it clearly wasn’t this one. This woman didn’t purchase a flat in the same building. This couple bought a house with two separate units, both individually furnished with a separate kitchen & bathroom in each. The only thing they share is the laundry room.
It’s not gossip worthy. It’s bold and informative. My hats off to both of them for figuring out a way to keep the family together while respecting the privacy and space of all concerned.
Instead of breaking up the entire family cause the adults aren’t getting along the way they had anticipated, they created this . I think how the world is unfolding, it’s a good alternative to trying to support two separate households.
So two flats within the same building & two separate units within the same building are totally different things!!! How & why?
My mother owns a flat within a building that has a communal laundry among other things, as does my father in law. Both flats are separate units with their own letter boxes, gas, electricity etc. Both are flats.
Why is it bold or informative? They are in a relationship no different to any other boyfriend, girlfriend who live close to each other. The only difference is they have chosen to live within the same building after they met.
What these two are doing is nothing new, nothing bold, nothing different. I had a relationship years ago with someone who lived in the same block of flats as me. It is just these two have simply paid money to do it, rather than doing it, because it is the way things were, when they met.
There is nothing wrong, or clever abut about what these two are doing. And good luck to them. They have an arrangement which suits them & one which they seem to be happy with. That is good. But it is really nothing that deserves gossiping about.
Merriam-Webster defines gossip in a number of ways, one being… “Rumour or report of an intimate nature.” And discussions about their chosen living arrangements is certainly that.
What is the difference between owning two flats within one building and purchasing one building and creating two personalized living units?
LoTS of difference. Owning a flat in a community setting is what’s called apartment or condo living which is suitable for some but not others. Not everyone likes having that many neighbours living so close together. There isn’t a lot of privacy and often lacks individual outdoor space which many enjoy. Some places don’t allow pets or have an outrageous yearly maintenance fee.
Having their own home which they share ensures they can live more privately in an area of their preference. They most likely won’t have a huge maintenance fee since they will do their own maintenance. They can have as many pets as they like AND it would most likely cost much less than purchasing two units individually. This can help the children establish a better relationship with each other gradually.
That’s the difference.
We don’t really know the relationship of these two except that they do still consider themselves a family. They both have gone through divorces which we all know is hard on everyone including children. Maybe these two loved and respected each other enough to figure out a living arrangement that worked for them all instead of trying to force the entire family together, possibly ending in divorce.
What’s different about it? Most couples who want to share a life together get married and move all their kids in together and try and make it work. When and if it doesn’t, they divorce which gets incredibly ugly ( back stabbing ) as well expensive and inconvenient ( moving , schooling, daycare etc.) This couple didn’t do that.
This is NOT the same as any other relationship and using your relationship with meeting someone and dating them is a really bad comparison. You weren’t previously divorced with children nor did you claim to want to start a family with your lover/friend. THAT is a HUGE difference.
About the gossip worthy comment.
Who says that’s what they were going for.
They ARE doing something that most families DoN’T do and that’s to work out an arrangement that works for them all instead of trying to force two separate families together too soon. It also opens up ideas for couples who might not wish to stay in a romantic relationship but don’t wish to separate due to other reasons like finances and mutual friendship.
Rumours ? There is nothing of an intimate nature being discussed in this article. If there is then please point it out to me?
You confused me by adding this.
Did you mean to say that these two worked out an arrangement that saved them a lot of money and suited every one of their blended family members which is praise worthy? Not gossip worthy.
Let’s normalize doing whatever makes people happy and is BeST for the kids.
The above sentence is why they should be praised.
Flats come with all sorts of arrangements. I have brought & lived in several. Three were freehold properties, so we had no leaseholder or management issues. One flat was one of 2 within the building, with it’s own private entrance & nothing shared but the building. Another, was one of three flats within the same building. .
I have brought & lived in around 6 or 7 different flats in total, ranging from a 2 flat building to one with around 20 flats. And I have never been told what animals I can or cannot keep.
And yes the minutiae details of my relationship & the one of the couple in the news article were different. But the main issues were the same. We lived in the same building & had a relationship.
And I am not saying they should not be seen as anything, but people doing what is right for them. But they are not doing anything that many other couples are not doing. So good for them all, even the ones not seeking attention.
Yes I realize there are all sorts of flats.
Let me rephrase that then:
Most people don’t go this route. Maybe their kids weren’t getting along so they considered breaking up but decided to go this route and maybe they decided to publicize their decision so it was already out there. If people don’t know their situation, it might cause needless gossip.
Perhaps this was the best way to handle it for all concerned. I’m not claiming it’s the best thing for everyone but in their case it appears to have been brilliant.
I’d much rather read stories like this than divorced parents sabotaging each other and dragging their kids through it. That can be pure toxicity.
