Family ties
Multigenerational household supports blended family as well as hectic careers
IN THIS MULTIGENERATIONAL household where 10 people come and go, there is joy and there is much to do daily.
It’s a house where you’re never lonely. “I like it because I’m always around somebody. It’s never really boring at home,” notes Alex MacFarlane, 13.
It’s a home where Alex can have supper on the main floor with his mother Erin Yuet Tjam and her husband Bruce Arai, and various siblings, and then slip downstairs with his brother Andrew to see what their Chinese-speaking grandparents are cooking.
“Sometimes I don’t know what we’re eating,” says Andrew MacFarlane, 15, laughing.
It’s a home that makes sure six children in the blended family are active and cared for. And it’s a home where busy careers must be kept in balance.
“These days, “I’m up until 3 a.m. and get up at 8 a.m. to get the kids out the door,” Tjam says. “Sometimes we go back to bed.”
It takes work and patience to merge families, and when Tjam and Arai began living together in 2008, they knew each family member — young and old — needed space and time to adjust. A fourth and fifth bedroom were added and the basement was converted into living quarters for Tjam’s mother and father.
“The population density in this house is high,” Tjam says.
“The reason we can do a multigenerational family is because it’s set up properly. You each have to have independence and an environment to support it.”
And mother and daughter need their own kitchen, she says, smiling. “You can’t share a kitchen.”
Arai, who has a PhD in sociology, is dean of the Brantford campus of Wilfrid Laurier University, a growing campus with almost 3,000 students.
He was reappointed dean last year and is on administrative leave until June, which is his chance to take a break and prepare research for publication.
Tjam, who has a PhD in health studies and gerontology, is a business developer.
She owns Boardwalk Homes Executive Guest Houses and Suites with six properties and more than 20 rooms. Previous to that, her company AE Advancement Canada Inc. worked with University of Waterloo on international programs to train Chinese executives.
She also began Go Global Travel, which partners with a large network of resorts and hotels to help travellers find accommodation around the world. Last year, Tjam and other partners bought a franchise of Adele home cleaning and maid service.
And now, Tjam is in the beginning phase of yet another new business which, she says, will address the long-standing >>