‘I relied a lot more on my parents’: 31-year-old Kahlil evaluates his independence one year after moving back home

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced young people back home to live with their parents in record numbers. At the age of 31, Kahlil Spurlock was laid off from work and had to move back in with his parents. He shares how this experience has brought his family closer and taught him to appreciate the support system he has.

Video transcript

KAHLIL SPURLOCK: Hi, I'm Kahlil Spurlock. I was previously living in New York City.

MORGAN SPURLOCK: I'm Morgan Spurlock, I'm Kahlil's father.

UTIVA SPURLOCK: And I'm Utiva Spurlock, Kahlil's mom.

KAHLIL SPURLOCK: I was living in New York at the beginning of the pandemic and I was working at a PR agency. I knew that it was going to definitely shift some of the work that I was doing. But I was told that I was actually laid off.

No one wants to say that they're moving back in with their parents, right? But New York was way too expensive to live without a job.

One of the struggles that I definitely encountered while moving back is the independence wasn't really there anymore, right? I relied a lot more on my parents. I had to communicate more in terms of the stuff that I was doing.

UTIVA SPURLOCK: We have to work through things because everything is not always perfect.

KAHLIL SPURLOCK: Having to live with parents again can be very difficult and challenging at times because you can't exactly tell them what to do.

UTIVA SPURLOCK: Khalil still carries with him and his attitude is a touch of selfishness about food. If there's something he bought that he likes and he goes to the cupboard and it's not there, he wants to know who ate it.

MORGAN SPURLOCK: One of the things when Kahlil came back is just walking by his room and looking in there. I had to remind him, you know, that you do have a closet.

KAHLIL SPURLOCK: Which is where I draw the line. I said I need a door lock. It's just a peace of mind knowing that they can't just randomly barge in whenever they want to.

It's almost like getting into that same kind of environment that you were in before you left but also like making it better I do help out around more. Like I do clean dishes more.

UTIVA SPURLOCK: Yeah. And you cook.

KAHLIL SPURLOCK: Yeah, I cook.

UTIVA SPURLOCK: And he bakes.

KAHLIL SPURLOCK: Yeah I bake a lot now.

MORGAN SPURLOCK: I'm very proud of him. He's a manager. He's a leader. I can see it now by his working environment because it's at home. It's just like wow, this kid has grown up.

KAHLIL SPURLOCK: I have a good support system. And I think I knew that but now I really understand that. This moment has brought us closer together and I'm not worried about that dynamic shifting or changing once I move out.

Soon enough who knows maybe they'll have to move in with me when they get older. So it's going to be-- I don't know why you're laughing. It's probably sooner than later.

MORGAN SPURLOCK: I hope it doesn't have a house with a basement. Lock the door.