An internet user complaining that their sister-in-law won't leave them alone while staying at their house has sparked conversation online.
Shared on the popular discussion site Mumsnet on Saturday, user Kidsaretryingtodestroyme shared the story. They explained: "I'm p***ed off anyway as my husband gave me three days warning that my sister-in-law and brother-in-law were coming over from abroad for a week to stay," explaining that their routine had been heavily disrupted.
"I've got an extremely demanding job, work three days from home and they are sleeping in [the] back bedroom which is my office meaning I have to work from the kitchen table," explained the irritated Mumsnet user. They continued: "I'm a terrible sleeper and have a habit of going downstairs at 3 a.m. to make myself a hot drink in the hope it will make me go back to sleep. After day one she commented [that] she heard me going downstairs."
But the third disruption seemed to be causing the most concern, the poster wrote: "Every morning I try to get up and have a coffee before my two elementary-aged kids and husband get up. Just five minutes of me-time. This is because, probably connected to my poor sleeping, I'm pretty grumpy in the morning. I do not want to interact. However, as soon as she hears me stir in my room, getting up to put on my dressing gown she leaps out of bed to put the kettle on and empty the dishwasher. When I get downstairs she's asking me if I slept well and other morning small talk but s***, I'm seriously not in the mood."
The Mumsnet user admitted that they aren't a big fan of overnight houseguests anyway, but the brother and sister-in-law seemed to be causing added stress.
"I just want to scream," they wrote. "Give me some f****** space in my kitchen for five–10 minutes so I can sort myself out and become a friendly person. How do I get her to stay in her room for a bit in the morning without being rude?"
U.K. bed and mattress company Dreams conducted a Sleep Etiquette Survey, asking 2,000 British homeowners how to behave as a host and a guest overnight. The results were shocking, with 40 percent saying that hosts failed to clean their home or change bed sheets before guests came to stay.
When asked about the most annoying habits of overnight house guests, there were a few common concerns. Twenty-six percent complained about guests not helping with the cleaning, while 21 percent said that they were annoyed when guests constantly wanted to be entertained.
Similar to the Mumsnet user, 49 percent of respondents thought that a houseguest should get out of bed after the host to avoid appearing intrusive, with 40 percent believing you should get up at the same time as your host.
On Mumsnet, commenters were split on whether the host was being reasonable or not. One user wrote: "It sounds like she's trying to be really helpful and friendly if she's getting up to help make a hot drink and do the dishwasher. Just be nice, it's only a week."
Another reply said: "Do you have a garden? Could you take your coffee outside and just tell her you need a few mins and a coffee before you feel human in the morning?"
"Try communicating with her? Maybe she's just keen to be helpful and to spend time with you, and understandably she's doing that in ways you don't appreciate, but your relationship won't progress and feel comfortable for you both unless you tell her how you're feeling," said another reply.
One user wrote: "I would tell her, kindly, that you really need that 30 minutes with your first coffee by yourself just to set you up for the day. I'm sure she will understand."
Uncommon Knowledge
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
Newsweek is committed to challenging conventional wisdom and finding connections in the search for common ground.
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