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Teen brothers spend time together in their bedroom: one boy plays guitar, while the other reads a book.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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For this 18-year-old boy, though, things are much more complicated. He shared that he’s got 3 younger brothers to take care of, and they are tightly packed in there. This happens to plenty of families: it’s common for siblings to share a bedroom. But a lot of families stop at 2 people to a room. Instead, this family is really cramming all the kids in there…
I (18M) have three younger brothers (16M, 13M and 12M). Our parents were always a little harder on me than them and I know that can be normal sometimes. But something that always drove me crazy is when they were hosting people from my dad's family, I would be the only one asked to give up my room to keep them. People from dad's family stayed over a lot too. So there were a lot of times I had to sleep on the couch for them.
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Don’t you hate when you have visitors who need your bedroom? Even when it’s family members who you love a lot, you’re not going to get a good night’s sleep if you’re on a saggy couch or a half-deflated air mattress. The family member will spring out of bed, having slept great in your bed, while you’re half-asleep all day. This kid adds that this is a regular occurrence, which sounds so unpleasant. Being constantly asked to leave your own private space would bother anyone, but since he was a kid, he was just expected to put up with that treatment.
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Boy relaxes in his room.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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Sometimes I didn't even get much notice. My brothers never had to give up their rooms. In fact if there were more than usual my parents would add blow up beds to my room for them and the guest room would get a mattress or two depending on the situation.
It always bothered me and I spoke to my parents about it several times. I thought we had a breakthrough last year when they told me they had not wanted me to feel that way and they would do better.
Promises, promises. Actions are what really count!
It’s super strange that the brothers never had to give up their rooms. What’s up with that? If the 3 of them were sharing one room, it makes sense that a guest might feel uncomfortable asking all 3 kids to move elsewhere. But it points toward favoritism if the parents are asking their oldest to sacrifice his space each time!
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Also, tell me if I’m crazy here, but like, what is stopping the guest from snoozing on the air mattress in the living room or in the parents’ room? I know it’s not common, but if the parents are close friends with someone (or it’s a family member!) can’t they sleep over in the parents’ bedroom? I really don’t think it has to be a big deal, but I also know a lot of couples would never let that fly.
Here’s where it gets even wilder…
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Kid tries to tune out his family members with headphones.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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After I turned 18 and started working full time I started paying rent. One of the agreements we came to was there was no more making me give up my room. I told them since I was paying for that room now the least they could do was respect that. This was never formally implemented and it was all just very between family. But what happened? A bunch of family visited a month ago and my parents told me to give up my room for them to have space. When I tried to stand my ground and also talk to them about it they told me it was their decision it was their house.
My jaw dropped when I read that first sentence!
You cannot make someone pay rent for their own bedroom and then demand they give it up for someone, whether it’s Grandma or just one of Mom’s besties.
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Also, the “my house, my rules” thing tastes so sour in your mouth once you turn 18. It suddenly clicks to you that, ah yes, you’re 18 now. You can leave that house and their rules in the past!
Instead of just accepting it I called my grandparents on mom's side and I asked if they had room for me and were okay with me moving in. They said yes immediately and they came over to pack me up and move me in.
What a plot twist!!! Grandma and Grandpa are showing up for this person in his time of need. What a thoughtful thing for them to do.
You’ll never guess how this teen’s parents handled this!
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My parents thought it was a joke until they saw all my stuff being brought out to my grandparents car. My parents told me I couldn't just leave and I was paying rent so I needed to give them real notice. I told them if I was kicked out of the space I was renting then I was just going to leave.
Ever since my parents have been telling me to move back in and they said it was childish to move out in such an overdramatic way. They told me I left the family members who were visiting feeling awkward and like they were intruding.
They know it’s not childish or overdramatic. They just weren’t expecting him to actually stand up to them!
I hope this kid has a bright future ahead of him from here on out! He did something difficult, and he’ll have a better living situation because of it. And even though his parents are upset right now, once they cool off, things might go back to normal. It'll be a win-win for the whole family.
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Multiple generations of a family spend time together.
The image does not depict the actual subjects of the story. Subjects are models.
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