My son has turned into a total slob, and his girlfriend is his exact replica. Im drained from living amid their chaos.
I never imagined Id say it aloud, but Ive had enough. Enough of the dirty dishes, the floor that hasnt seen a broom in weeks, the lingering smell of leftover meals, and the feeling of sharing a home with careless roommates instead of living in my own place. All of this because my son and his sweetheart have been crashing here like theyre on vacation for the past two months.
Louis is twenty. Hes doing a distancelearning bachelors program, just finished his military service, and landed a job right away. An adult, in theoryselfsufficient, contributing to the bills, not aimlessly idling. I was proud of him. Until that fateful conversation.
One day, he told me, Mom, Mathildes situation at home is terrible. Her parents are always fighting, shouting, and she cant even study in peace. Could she stay here for a while until things settle down? We wont cause any trouble.
I felt sorry for her. Id seen her beforeshy, polite, downcast eyes, soft voice. How could I refuse? Especially since Louis has his own room and theres space. I just didnt anticipate the gift that would follow.
At first they tried: dishes put away, floor swept, no noise. We even set up a cleaning scheduleSaturday their turn, Wednesday mine. I thought maybe they had finally matured. But three weeks later everything collapsed.
Dirty plates with dried food lingered in the sink for days, hair and wrappers littered the floor. The bathroom? Shampoo streaks, hair clogging the drain, soap residue. Their bedroom looked like a cave: clothes tossed everywhere, crumbs on the desk, an unmade bed. Mathilde roamed around with a mask on her face, phone in hand, as if she were at a spa, not in my home.
I tried to talk, to ask, to remind them. Always the same answer: We havent had time, well do it later. Except later never arrived. So I started handing them a mop and cleaning productsno blame, just silently. That didnt move the needle either. Once they spilled sauce on the tablecloth and left it untouched. I ended up cleaning everything myself.
When I walked into their room and saw the mess, I couldnt stay silent:
Dont you mind living like this?
Louis, without a flicker of concern, replied:
Geniuses thrive in chaos.
But I see no genius in that messjust two grownups who find it convenient to live like pigs and expect their mother to serve them.
Louis promised to pitch ingroceries, bills. In reality he only pays the utilities. He shops once a week, but sushi, pizza and other deliveries arrive almost daily. They offer me food, but it doesnt warm my heartthe fridge stays empty. With that money we could have fed the whole family.
Mathilde doesnt work; shes a student. She receives a grant, yet never contributes a cent to groceries or cleaning. All her money goes to frivolities. When I suggested a modest share of the expenses, she shrugged, offended.
I raised Louis alone. His father left before he was born. My parents helped, I worked double, saved, did everything for him. I never blamed him, and I dont want to start now. But watching my apartment turn into a dump is unbearable.
I tried calm discussionsonce, twice, three times The result is clear: they wont change. They think Im an old nag, that I should be grateful theyre tolerating me under the same roof.
Two months I held on. Thats enough. Ill tell them plainly: either you take responsibility, or you move to a student residence. Maybe there theyll learn what it means to respect others work and space.
Because Im fed up being their housekeeper. I just want peace, no endless piles of dirty dishes, no socks strewn across the kitchen.
What would you do? Should I risk a fight with my son, or keep turning a blind eye to this disaster in the apartment I built with my own hands?
