Charger Opinion

Pesky relatives move in

Will Harris, Charger Staff

Recently my aunt, uncle, cousins and their dog came to stay with my family to escape hurricane Charley. Fortunately, they were not hit by the storm on the way up here. Once they got here, however, they decided to stay. My uncle’s job wasn’t going so well, and because they had previously lived in Tennessee, they had always wanted to come back.

Eight people living in a three bedroom house. This is a problem. People were sleeping on floors. My dad had to sleep on the couch, and the dog had to be locked in my sister’s room because of our cats. I guess I can’t complain that much; at least I had my bed.

Sharing rooms wasn’t the problem; it was sharing the house. It was cooking for eight people. It was fleas from their dog. It was the hostility that comes with too many people living under one roof. If you haven’t had other family members living with you, go stay with some extended family members for about a month. When you’re around your relatives too long, you start arguing about everything!

I hate when people don’t put things back in their places and leave their clothes lying around. Washing clothes was a major disaster, especially when everybody had the same sizes and same brands of clothing. After living with this insanity for about a month, they finally started looking for a house. I guess this experience wasn’t my cup of tea. Having family members live with you is like having a ball and a chain hooked to you; you constantly feel crowded.

The moral of the story is, if your mom and dad have this great idea to let your aunt and uncle move in with you, try to change their minds!