Family members can be a blessing in some scenarios but what happens when they overstay their welcome in your house, what do you do?
Most people in Nigeria are beginning to lose their colours of freedom due to accommodating relatives in their homes. This scenario which is caused by financial constraints is gradually becoming a social norm in the society, causing an emotional distraught to bread winners who are beginning to experience loopholes in their pockets.
Voicing out his story, Mr Okon said he consented to accommodating his uncle in his own small apartment but later, two joined, making it three family members. According to Okon, his plight intensified when the two boys in the house were gluttonizing meals in the house.
” The two boys I allowed to live with me suddenly became a problem to me every single day because they ate like glutton.
I couldn’t take it anymore and this prompted me to share my burden to my friend who is a Lawyer.”
Okon said the Lawyer helped out by sending a letter of quick notice to his house in his absent. Fortunately, the family members got to read the letter and had a full dose of the information.
” Once I came back, they told me the seemingly bad news and this made them to leave the house without any struggle.
“Of course, the quick notice letter was all a tactic to make them leave my house and it worked. I was so happy and I got my life back on track.”
Having a similar situation, Mr David ( not real name) also accommodated his relatives in his house. He had the sister in law coming to live with him and also his two brothers.
According to him, this happened because they relocated from one room to a three room apartment. He said the new accommodation attracted family members from different quarters to live with him and his wife.
David said , ” It was so challenging to feed himself, his wife and two kids, his two brothers and sister in law. This made up a total of seven people living in the same roof.
The situation worsened when he was laid off from his place of work and was given a quick notice by his landlord to exist the resident.”
Unlike Okon who formulated his landlord’s letter, David’s letter was real due to his inability to pay his rent. He described the situation as ” devastating and traumatizing”.
Meanwhile, the financial problem became so stuffy that the man’s brothers had to leave since they were no longer feeling the blissfulness of life. The sister in law was coerced to leave while the man’s wife and kids were sent to the village.
Mrs Udoh also had her plight of relatives bashing on her at their own will. Living in a house with 6 rooms, Mary Udoh complained of having extended family members visiting her unexpectedly.
Narrating her ordeal, she said, ” I have one of my extended family who travels from Lagos to my house in Akwa Ibom State without telling me and unfortunately, the wife has also follow the same pattern.
“Once they arrive, I have to inconvenience myself to feed them and make sure they have their warm bath. It is always so uncomfortable but as a woman embedded with family morals, I find myself just making family members comfortable at my own detriment.”
Similar case also happened to Mrs Udoh when her pastor actually said he was coming for a seminar and he had to seek refuge in his home to attend the event but sadly, he brought two pastors along with him.
According to Mrs Udoh, she found herself feeding three male pastors in a week and with God’s grace, she was able to take care of them but it was the last time he visited.
When accommodating family members, it can be overwhelming but you have to be strategic in your approach. Do what you can and let them know the true situation if you can’t help out. They may see you as been heartless but you have to save your life first in order to continually be of help to them.
