This Is Why I Refuse To Live Anywhere With Fewer Bathrooms Than People

When I was still living at home, my brother and I shared a bathroom. We largely took turns, except in the mornings to get ready for school. Even then, I was only in there long enough to brush my teeth and wash my face before I did everything else in my room.

One morning, my brother decided that he didn’t want to share a bathroom anymore and started loudly demanding that I get out of the bathroom while he was using it. That’s when my mom intervened.

Mom: “[My Name], will you just let your brother have the bathroom to himself?”

Me: “I just need to brush my teeth and wash my face. I’m not even in there for five minutes. He’s being completely unfair.”

Mom: “But he really wants to be in the bathroom alone. Why don’t you do your stuff after he’s done?”

Me: “Because he’s in there for thirty minutes every morning. If I wait until he’s done to get in there, I’ll miss my bus.”

Mom: “Well, you’ll have to get up earlier and do your stuff.”

Me: “No. I shouldn’t have to rearrange my morning routine because he’s having a hissy fit.”

After a few more minutes of arguing, I decided to ignore them both, do my routine, and go to the bus stop.

My mom continued trying to get me to bend over backward to my brother’s demands. She’d say I could have the bathroom first, but the five minutes I was in there was “taking too long”. My stuff was in his way, so I moved them to a basket kept in a corner of the sink. That wasn’t good enough, and I had to keep it all in my room and carry the basket back and forth.

Finally, I got my license, which meant I could drive to school instead of getting up early to make the bus. And… I could get up an hour later and use the bathroom in peace after my mom left for work and my brother took the bus. 

But that was no good, either, because my mom thought I should get up when everyone else did. And it was now my job to make sure my brother got up and to the bus each morning. 

Now my family wonders why I’m in low contact with them.