Roommates

When two adults decide to become roommates they first need to sit down together and express their needs to each other.

They need to define what it will take for them to live together if they have pets. How often must the cat litter be cleaned, Who picks up the feces in the yard. Who cleans the fur or hair from the floors and when.

What are the plans for dirty dishes? Who loads and unloads the dishwasher and when. Are dirty dishes allowed to just sit in the sink or on the counter tops?

How long can clean laundry be left in the washer or dryer.

Who mows the lawn when.

It is not fair to assume different people will feel the same way about these things. They need to be discussed.

If they continue to be taken care of by both people in a manner agreeable to them then all is well, but what happens when one of the roommates stops adulting or begins enabling?

Mature people can deal with these things, but they do need to be dealt with. Possible consequences for consistently not doing them could be as simple as finding the cat a new home if one can't take care of it in a hygienic way, or paying someone to mow the lawn when its your turn if you don't want to do it yourself. Simple things like who uses a dust mop when can be divided up even and odd days or marked on a calendar.

Both people are responsible for holding up their part of the living agreement. Neither one has the right to infringe on the other. Two adults should be able to coexist in a hygienic home. Make a chart or write these things down on a calendar so there is no question of what is expected.