(This story was sent to us by Angela).
Source: Reddit
My partner, m38, and I,f32, have been together for 8 years. He has 2 amazing girls from his old relationship, 9 and 11. We get them every weekend from Fridays after school and take them to school Monday mornings, their mum is only 30mins away and school is only 15. I love these girls, I have since I first met them which was why, when we built our house I made sure it had enough space for them inside and outside. We built our house 5 years ago, my kidlets were still young enough they wanted to share a room, mums house is 2 bedroom so it was normal.
I work 2 different jobs. One job is mornings from 6.30am to 9am, then 3pm to 6pm. I also do in-home support for the elderly from 10.30am to 1.30pm and I am also currently studying a 2year diploma, but aside from that both my job requires filling out paperwork and doing admin from home.
Our house has 4 bedrooms, I took the smallest of them, with hi-lo windows, to turn into my office. This space is super important, it lets me focus on my work, it’s quiet, I don’t have to stress about the dishes needing to be done or what to do for dinner like I used to at our old house when my ‘office’ was the kitchen table. I would always end up preparing dinner or cleaning instead of my work.
I came home from 2 nights away, not the weekend, helping my SILs grandmother prepare to move into a nursing home. When I went to put away all the paperwork we filled out into my filing drawers, my office was gone! Instead there was my 11yr old kidlets bed, chest of drawers, her toys and books. I freaked out. I asked my partner why he did it, he said that 11yr wanted her own room now, and he thought the ‘computer room’ would be best.
He then said that I’m always in there and that he thinks I should set up my office at the kitchen island because ‘that way I’m not shutting myself away.’ I said thanks for thinking of me and my supposed isolation but I needed my office, I had EVERYTHING in order, one wall was painted a calming blue/green, I had everything where I needed it, and stressed so much less. He said I was being ungrateful and that this was no longer the ‘computer room’ and I had to get over it. He has never behaved like this.
The next day I moved all my kidlet’s things into the empty bigger room. I even went and got wooden letters that spelled out both girls’ names for us to paint and put on the walls of their rooms.
My partner said my reaction was over the top, that I was being petty and selfish, I was putting my needs before his children’s and that 11yr old wanted my office room specifically, he said it was because she wanted to be closer to me. Maybe I did over react, it is just a room and I could have just set up in the larger room but this is the room I have, I guess, emotionally invested in. It is my space. He wants me to apologise.
Should I say sorry to him for over reacting? What are your opinions? Please don’t be afraid to criticize. Thank you for your time in advance.
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