Teens in college look forward to enjoying their independence, especially if it's their first time to be miles away from home. What happens, however, when a teen lives with a roommate who behaves like a parent? How does a college kid handle this?
Nicole Fryer, a student from the University of Pittsburgh, shared she has a roommate who sometimes behaves like her mother. She said she her roommates' motherly concerns as caring gestures but like any relationships between mothers and daughters, Fryer and her roommate also have disagreements and frictions.
She advised teens in a similar situation that the best way to handle roommate who behaves like a parent is to never hide things, always listen and be open to talking, especially if the same issues crop up over and over. "Make sure your roommate knows you're running your own show, and even though you appreciate their concern," she wrote, via Study Breaks.
She also said that problems between roommates should be handled as a private matter and never aired to those how are not involved. Remember the mantra "keep it in the family" and apply this to one's relationship with a roommate who acts like a parent.
If it's the other way around and you're the teen behaving like a parent, Fryer suggested stepping back even if you think your roommate will make a mistake. Be a supportive friend and let the roommate know you're there for her but do not be a helicopter parent (friend).
Do understand that sharing a living space requires compromise and it will be uncomfortable in the beginning, according to Bustle. Realize that living with a roommate isn't like at home where you're made to follow your parents' house rules. You have to learn to co-exist and live by socially accepted rules such as respecting you roommate's personal belongings, privacy and contributing to your share of responsibilities.
