The most difficult year of my life was the year I returned to Cyprus after college. The package of “adult life” was quite heavy and the icing on the cake was the fact that I had to live with mum and dad AGAIN.
Don’t get me wrong, I love my parents; I just don’t like them all the time! (Please don’t tell my mum she won’t stop moaning)
There are many cases where you end up finding yourself in your childhood home. You might have always been too broke to have rent money –that’s me!- or you might have managed to live on your own for a while but you’ve just lost your job or broke up with your partner, or had a fight with your roommate, or …I don’t know! All I know is that going back to living with your parents could be stressful and nerve-wrecking if you don’t prepare yourself correctly.
When your parents become your roommates, the boundaries can become a bit too blurry. All you can think about is how unbearable it seems to live side-by-side with people with whom you disagree about pretty much everything with on a daily basis.
I wish I could tell you that I’d give you tips to make the whole thing a piece of cake, but I can’t; it won’t be easy, and you should prepare yourself for some rough patches.
You can try and have a conversation about boundaries and personal space with them. If your parents are Cypriots or Greeks, you might have to remind them that you’re not a child anymore and that you demand some privacy too.
You might need to lock your room from time to time, especially on weekends. I mean, has your mum ever used the vacuum cleaner to wake you up? Yes, you’ve read this correctly. She walked in my room at 9:00 am on Sunday morning and decided to start cleaning the bedroom despite the fact that I was sleeping. The icing on the cake was her reaction when I started shouting, she was like “Oh, sorry honey, I didn’t think you’d wake up.” I should have got a medal for not killing her that day!
My mum is a total headache and I guess all parents can be a pain in the neck sometimes, but have you ever thought that we might be a headache to them as well? Surprise, surprise! If you’re like me, it might seem impossible but it’s very important to respect their space and remember that little gestures like helping with cleaning or doing the grocery shopping once in a while would really help keep the good vibes going – or at least keep the bad vibes away.
Trust me on this one. Mutual respect is the key. And patience… a lot of patience.
Good luck!
xoxo,
Andrea
