Children grew up, left home, found a place of their own and started building an independent life. It may not always have happened immediately, yet it was generally seen as the natural next step.
Today, that picture looks rather different.
Across the country, more families are finding themselves living under the same roof for longer. In some homes, adult children remain with their parents well into their twenties and thirties. In others, older parents are moving in with their children as retirement costs, care needs and household expenses continue to rise.
What was once viewed as an exception is becoming increasingly common.
This week on Property Matters, Gareth Wax and Hamish McLay will be discussing the growing trend of multi-generational living, joined by Tiffany Fairbrother.
The reasons behind the change are not particularly difficult to understand.
Housing remains expensive relative to earnings in many parts of the country. Deposits can take years to save. Mortgage affordability tests remain challenging for many first-time buyers. Even renting privately can absorb a significant proportion of someone's income.
Faced with those realities, staying at home longer often makes financial sense.
Yet this is not simply a story about younger adults.
Many older people are also finding that living closer to family provides practical and emotional benefits. Rising care costs, concerns about loneliness and the desire for support as they get older are all contributing to changing living arrangements.
In some cases, three generations are now sharing the same property.
Grandparents help with childcare. Parents support both their children and older relatives. Household bills are shared across more people. What might once have been considered unusual is becoming part of everyday life for many families.
Interestingly, this trend is not entirely new.
In many cultures, multi-generational living has always been common. What may be changing is that financial pressures are encouraging a much wider range of families to consider arrangements that previous generations may never have expected.
Of course, living together is not always straightforward.
Most homes were designed around the idea of a single family unit. Privacy can become limited. Different lifestyles, routines and expectations can occasionally create tension. Anyone who has shared a house with relatives for an extended period will probably recognise some of those challenges.
Yet there can also be real advantages.
Families often speak about stronger relationships, practical support and the comfort of knowing loved ones are nearby. For working parents, help with childcare can be invaluable. For older relatives, remaining connected to family life can improve wellbeing and reduce isolation.
The property industry is beginning to take notice as well.
Developers are increasingly considering layouts that offer more flexibility, including annexes, separate living spaces and homes that can adapt as family circumstances change. One wonders whether the family home of the future may look quite different from the homes being built today.
There is also a wider housing question sitting quietly behind all of this.
Are families choosing multi-generational living because they genuinely prefer it, or because rising housing costs are leaving them with fewer alternatives?
The answer is probably a little of both.
What seems clear is that the traditional path from family home to independent home is no longer as straightforward as it once was. As housing affordability, childcare costs and later-life care pressures continue to grow, more families are finding new ways to make life work.
Whether this proves to be a temporary response or a lasting shift in how we live remains to be seen.
Either way, the modern family home is changing, and that makes for a fascinating Property Matters conversation.
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