For individuals who have elected to self-isolate with others, there can be that awkward decision to have to make: which friends or family to stay with.
And perhaps even more awkward is the moment your family member brings home a special someone. What do you do then?
Dad and Reddit user "fmfiri" found himself in this situation when his college student son returned home with his girlfriend. She asked if she could stay there during the self-isolation, instead of returning to her parents' home, and he agreed.
He shared his story in the "Am I the A**hole?" sub-Reddit, after he found himself facing more of a backlash than he could have expected.
"So I'm a single dad of my 19-year-old son. He's been dating a [19-year-old] girl from his college since the beginning of freshman year, and when he came back she asked if she could stay with me instead of her parents."
To be fair, the dad thought this through, rather than impulsively giving a yes.
"I thought about it pretty deeply because I didn't really know how I felt about it at first, but I have a lot of extra space and I figured if I said no they'd try and see each other anyway despite the stay at home orders. I've been treating it as close to a regular roommate situation as I can, although he is my son so it's not quite the same, but my house is big enough that they can keep to themselves without bothering me."
It also seems everyone in the house is getting along just fine.
"And not that I've been trying to listen to their conversations, but from what I've heard they're very good for each other. They're always very happy and nice to each other and there doesn't seem to be any conflicts."
But it seems the girlfriend's parents were not on board with the plan.
"Anyway when she first moved in her parents had a meltdown, they called me and demanded I kick her out and make her go home. I told them I wasn't going to do that and if she wants to leave she's free to. She has her own car and it's only a 45 minute drive to her home town. They berated me over the phone a few times and then finally gave in and let her stay."
To make matters worse, the girlfriend shared a little too much about her current living situation.
"Apparently she let it slip over video chat that they've been sleeping in the same room (I don't really know what her parents expected when she moved in with him... but ok) and they called me again and demanded I separate them."
"I told them that again if she wants to leave I'm not keeping her, she has the means to go home, it's not like I've locked them in the same room. And there's a third spare bedroom that she can stay in if she decides she for some reason does want to be separated."
"They said that I know what they're doing in there and that it's a tragedy that I'm endorsing it."
But the dad is standing by his decision to let the couple self-isolate together in his home.
"From my point of view is they're both the same age, technically adults, they can serve in the military, I'm sure whatever they do in there they were doing at college. They're old enough to decide for themselves what they want to do."
Fair enough.
Reddit overwhelmingly agreed with the dad, generally feeling that demanding a couple sleep in separate beds is an archaic remnant of a bygone era.
"NTA (Not the A**hole). And for the gfs sake, I'm glad she is not staying with her parents haha. As you said they are adults. Also...are the parents aware that they likely slept in the same bed at college?" - [deleted]
"Went to visit my ex's grandparents with her before we had gotten married. They made me sleep on the couch and had her sleep in the guest bed. Because we weren't married yet."
"So I slept on the couch, with my baby son beside me. The baby that my ex and I had together. While she slept in the guest bed. Because we needed to be kept apart. Because we weren't married." - Sageypie
"My ex's mom made us sleep separate at the house for Christmas. Even though we have our own apartment. She made me and his sister sleep in the same room. He slept with his brother in the other room. And the sisters boyfriend in the basement... we are all over 25!!!!!!" - ctrlaltdltmyheart
"For real?! I don't understand it AT ALL. As a parent, it seems insane. As a child, it seems insane."
"I mean, if that's understandable then why can't kids insist their parents don't sleep in the same bed when they visit so they don't soil the spare sheets? Most people would find the thought of their parents getting busy pretty gross, but it's not normal to insist your parents not sleep in the same bed and I doubt anyone would say it's understandable." - MyNeighbourJeff
The world is a strange place right now, with a lot of unknowns. It stands to reason that the girlfriend's parents probably feel a little out-of-control right now while unable to see their daughter.
It's also important to remember, though, this couple is of the appropriate age to make their own life decisions. At the very least, they could listen to the dad and try to find some reassurance in what he's observed.
As he said, the girlfriend is free to go home if she wishes.
@lpeterp/Bluesky
@FPWellman/X
@bobsbeatgmail.com5/Threads