The End of the Brother-in-Law Experiment

The Brother-in-Law Experiment is officially over. Nate's brother moved out yesterday. I won't lie, I'm happy to have my house back. I learned many things about myself over his six-month stay, some good, some bad. For example,

• I don't think we'll be hosting anyone else for a semi-permanent stay in the near future. It didn't work out for us. It turns out that I like my space and I don't like it when someone isn't considerate about it. Perhaps I was a little too hard on Matt. But I do think it's reasonable to expect someone to clean up after himself, not leave old food in the fridge, empty the washer and dryer when he's finished.
  
• I need to work on my communication skills when I'm frustrated. This is something I've needed to work on for awhile. Nate often bore the brunt of my frustration, which really wasn't fair.
• Sometimes I need to step back and look at the larger picture. Nate and Benny really enjoyed having Matt here. That's worth a lot. Just because I wasn't so keen on it, I should have considered their feelings (as well as Matt's) more often.
• And, finally, the Brown boys have a very different definition of "clean" than I do. Sometimes I think boys aren't "trained" to see messes like I and many other women are. That's one reason why girls' dorms smell better and look better than boys' dorms. That's one reason why women often find themselves doing more around the house. Men are more willing to live in messes than women (that's a generalization, I know) because they are never really taught to appreciate cleanliness.
  

Now that I have my house back, I hope to get everything organized by the end of the summer. Wish me luck!