The Sibling/Roommate Model.
A sweet photo recently found by our cousin, Laura.
When we tell people that we are siblings and that we live together we get hilarious reactions. Most people exclaim that they would kill their sibling or their sibling would kill them. And then they think about it a little bit and say, “actually, it would probably be okay. as long as we could have different bathrooms.”
We stole the idea from our good friends Marylouise and George. Alex and I haven’t lived together since 2005. He was a freshman in college and I was a junior in high school. Then we spent many years living far apart. We chatted on the phone once a week. We always had these dreams of hanging out when I’d come home nonstop. But I was always running around seeing a million people and we wouldn’t get too much quality time.
I have to say that even now I see how cherished this time is. One day we’ll have our own families. Be busy. But we get to be really present in each other’s lives in a really crucial time. He probably helps me more than I help him. He helps me put things in perspective when my mind is racing and tells me to put the chips back in the cabinet.
I got to thinking about other cultures and how families live together as families for much longer than we do in our American culture. Why do I leave my house at 18 and then jump from roommate to roommate until I get married and move in with my husband? Roommates, as great as they can be, will always come with their challenges. There can be walking on egg shells and not wanting to tell someone to put the chips away. I’ve been lucky with roommates and unlucky with others.
But it just makes SO MUCH SENSE to live with the person that I grew up sharing a bathroom with. When we don’t like something the other does, we argue or talk about it and then we get over it. We know that in the end, we have each other for the rest of our lives and there is no point in holding grudges. It is really teaching me loads about communication and not passenger seat driving!
Be a Heart from some huge fans of the sibling/roommate model,
Erica (& Alex)
