Some Tiny House fanatics love the idea of having their own little space, but are quick to say that they would never live in a tiny house with someone else. In fact, I know of one couple who has his-and-hers tiny houses. I've always said that the key to living peacefully with others in a tiny house is to respect each other and communicate. Tiny houses provide no room to hide from your differences and conflicts, whether they be big or small. Every single little thing that each of us does affects each other, and these affects are magnified in a tiny space. With three people in our tiny house, I have been noticing this even more. Even though Abel is a little guy, he still manages to take up the whole house sometimes:
Bath time and floor time both seem to create quite the obstacle. If either of us is trying to do something else at the same time, we have to navigate around the middle of the house. In a typical home I wouldn't say, "Hey, Alex, is it okay if I put the baby on a blanket on the floor right now?" But in a tiny space, it's important to communicate little things like that.
This week, I've also discovered the beauty of earplugs. I've always found them annoying, but after staying up basically all night once when Alex was taking care of Abel, I realized that I needed to do something to help me sleep. Ear plugs it was!
This week, I've also discovered the beauty of earplugs. I've always found them annoying, but after staying up basically all night once when Alex was taking care of Abel, I realized that I needed to do something to help me sleep. Ear plugs it was!
They may seem small, but these beauties have brought me so much peace. I've never been a great sleeper. Little noises wake me up easily. Screaming babies wake me up really easily. Alex and I split night time care 50/50, but when I couldn't even sleep when it was my turn, I was tempted to just let Alex sleep and take care of Abel all night anyways. But after using these, I don't even hear Abel. I know that many moms complain about husbands who don't wake up for the baby, but I think we're having the opposite problem ;-). |
Having multiple people living in a tiny house is tricky, but I think our family will end up being better as a result. Learning respect and communication is a valuable life skill.