The best thing about becoming adults is the fact that you don’t always have to spend time with your parents. And that was a good arrangement until the Coronavirus happened. For some people, this meant going home to their parents and self-isolating with them until the situation blows over. What could possibly go wrong with that?
Well, we asked 5 people who are self-isolating with their parents to share their experiences, and this is what they said.
Bianca
My mother is a pastor. My father is a deacon. I want to practice witchcraft. This is a combination that was never going to work. To be honest, they were the last people I wanted to self-isolate with. The other option was my grandma, but I realised that I couldn’t stand her for long either.
God, my dad eats a lot. That man eats at least five times a day. Usually, I eat two times a day, but guess what? The rate I eat too has increased, and that’s totally on him.
The morning devotions are the worst. God, I hate that my parents are so extra with it. Have you ever been having a really cool dream where you’re sipping red wine at the top of Mount Everest and your father just barges into your room and goes “Wake up, it’s time to pray”? I’ve cursed him in so many languages.
My parents have no sense of time when it comes to morning devotion; we spend more than an hour on this thing every damn day — praise and worship, prayer, devotion, more prayer, extra praise and worship. I’ve learned a hack to make it shorter though. I lead the prayers. I do everything. But I make sure that I shade them during the prayers. I feel like I can start my own church after this lockdown is over. I want to go back to living with my parents from a distance. Please God, make this Rona end.
Oritsesan
I spent lots of time with my parents pre-corona, but it was by choice. I tried to look for alternatives, but there was none So, I packed my bags and flew home and here I am.
My parents are boring people, but it’s been interesting watching their marriage and learning how they live with each other. You see, my parents fight a lot. They are always fighting and making up. Most of the time, they’re usually mad at each other because of trivial shit. It’s stressful to watch that sometimes.
My dad doesn’t stay at home and it drives me mad so much. I understand that he was outgoing before the lockdown, but I thought since everyone has been forced to stay at home, he will make the best of it. Not my dad! And no, he doesn’t have a second family.
My mum likes screaming, and it irks me. Like why do you have to shout about everything? We’ve been having more fights during this lockdown. We had a fight recently and I told her that I was disappointed in her. I guess those words shook her because she reported me to my dad before she stormed off to her room. But I got an apology later.
Anyway, I’m stuck at home with two people who annoy me the most. Please, send help.
Ayomide
I was always at work during the weekdays and at church during the weekends, so I wasn’t spending a lot of time with them before the lockdown, Needless to say, I was very excited about it. It’s been a lot of fun, but now, they want me to stop eating their food.
The most interesting thing about this arrangement is finding out that my parents are really sarcastic, so jokes are always flying around and the vibe around the house is energetic. My dad keeps saying that I might get a sibling soon. For context, he’s 60.
It’s also fun witnessing the dynamics of their relationship. Recently, they’ve developed an interest in the same shows. Before the lockdown, the only thing they watched together was wrestling. Now, my folks enjoy Judge Judy, Cheaters, and other weird shows. They are really fun people.
Adannaya
The coronavirus situation is forcing all of us to actually live together. Before the lockdown, we hardly saw each other, even though we were in the same house. I was always in my room whenever I was home from school. Our best form of communication was space.
I wasn’t planning on self-isolating at home, I wanted to stay with my cool aunt and I was there already, but my mum panicked and wanted all her children under the same roof, so she made sure that I came home. My dad is self-isolating with his parents, so it’s me, my mum, and my siblings. My mum has been telling me about her past and the stories are so beautiful. We’ve been looking at lots of old pictures and bonding over them.
The downside to it is that my mum doesn’t understand the meaning of space. It’s almost as if she wants to be sure that I’m not cheating on her. And God, she loves to slam doors behind her. Now, the hinge of my bedroom door is broken.
We used to be very oblivious of each other, but we’ve started noticing things about ourselves. I’ve realized that my mum has a bad eating habit. We have to remind her to eat all the time. My youngest sibling is a good gamer and really intelligent. You know, random things like that. The lockdown has been a rollercoaster. I’m grateful that I’m getting to know my family a little better, but at the same time, I’m feeling choked up in my space.
Ifeoluwa
It’s hard when you’d gotten used to coming home only when you had to, but now, you’re home every hour of the day with no end in sight. Funny enough, I thought it would be fun. I got it all wrong. My mum’s drama is one of a kind. She goes on overdrive over the littlest things. It’s overwhelming, really. The one thing I’ve not managed to get past is how much they disrupt my sleep. I’m at home with nothing much to do. If this is not the best time to sleep, pray tell, when is?
