My sister lived with my partner and me when I was pregnant and we were newlyweds. She moved out 5 months after moving in.
At first, our dynamic was great, and we loved living together. Then, it got a little tense.
We were in different places, and she eventually moved out, but we're now as close as ever.
When I was two months pregnant with my first child, my older sister called and asked if she could move in temporarily with my partner and me. She needed a fresh start and had decided to move interstate from the Gold Coast, Australia, where we grew up, to Melbourne, where I had been living for about a year.
At the time, my partner Sam and I were living in an old 1950s two-bedroom flat. I'd lived with my sister before in my 20s, so I knew she was easy to live with. After chatting with Sam about it, he said he didn't mind her crashing for a while until she got on her feet.
And so, a few weeks later, my sister arrived on our doorstep.
At first, living together was great
Luckily, my partner and sister have always got on well. Years ago, the three of us traveled through Laos and Thailand together, then later we backpacked around Cuba with my sister, so there was a lot of shared history between us.
Those first couple of months living together were really fun. My sister landed a corporate job in the city and quickly settled into Melbourne life. Melbourne is a cosmopolitan city that's known for its vibrant festival scene, which we embraced wholeheartedly. Every weekend, we would head to an international festival or cultural celebration together.
The household dynamic worked really well to start with. My sister paid rent, which helped us financially. We took turns cooking, and everyone got along. I remember coming home to find my partner squeezing my sister's blackheads on the couch one night and thinking, "Wow, this has taken their bond to a whole new level."
It was a time of transition, and things became a little tense
But it was also a really hectic time for Sam and me. I was battling the trials and tribulations of the first trimester of pregnancy and working full-time as a journalist, while Sam was trying to build his remedial massage business.
Within a few weeks of my sister living with us, Sam proposed to me. We'd been together for about eight years by that point, and with a baby on the way, marriage seemed like the logical next step. Suddenly, there was a wedding to arrange, which added to the stress levels.
After the wedding and honeymoon, I started to feel like the living arrangement wasn't really working out. My pregnancy was getting further along, and my hormones were raging. My sister was in a different phase of life. She was in party mode, while I wanted to nest, decorate the baby's nursery, and relish that so-called newlywed bliss that everyone talks about.
After a while, things became a little tense in the household. I began to feel like we needed our own space. I'm not very good at being direct with people, so I'd discreetly ask my sister how the house hunt was coming along. She eventually got the message and found a flat for herself after five months of living with us.
My sister moved out, and our relationship returned to normal
As soon as she had her own place, our relationship went back to the way it had been before. Sam and I were able to spend some quality time together alone before our son was born and our lives changed forever, while my sister could party guilt-free at her own digs.
Our son is 10 now, and my sister and I live in different states. She has a beautiful little girl of her own and has left the partying days behind. We're still as close as ever despite the eight-year age difference between us, and we often reflect on the happy memories we made in Melbourne together all those moons ago.
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In November 2021, Kimmy was diagnosed with an aggressive stage 3 inflammatory Breast Cancer, just nine months after welcoming her second chemotherapy, a double mastectomy, and 30 rounds of radiation, she achieved a complete pathological response. In March 2025, Fasani released her documentary, Butterfly in Blizzard, which chronicles her unexpected cancer diagnosis and journey into motherhood. Laura Marquez-Garrett Senior Counsel at the Social Media Victims Law Center Laura Marquez-Garrett has continuously used their law background to advocate for families in the face of an ever-changing technological world. As the senior counsel at the Social Media Victims Law Center, an organization that aims to hold Big Tech accountable, Marquez-Garrett has filed over 1,000 complaints in both state and federal courts across the United States. Their work goes beyond the courtroom, too; Marquez-Garrett is in close communication with lawmakers, parents, educators, and journalists to keep these issues top of mind and to work toward making the online world a safer place for kids and young people. Len Forkas Founder of Hopecam At 65 years old, Len Forkas just completed summiting Mount Everest in order to raise a million dollars for the nonprofit he founded called Hopecam. The organization helps connect kids with cancer to their classrooms while they are receiving treatment.A tech entrepreneur by trade, Forkas started Hopecam in 2002 when his son was diagnosed with leukemia at 9 years old. He watched as his son struggled with missing school and his friends. So he took action and connected him with his classroom. Now, Hopecam is helping close to 1,000 children a year with the goal to help even more. Max Alexander Designer and Founder of Couture to the Max At just 7 years old, Max Alexander is already a fashion star on the rise. Four years ago, he told his family that he wanted to be a dressmaker and began designing and sewing soon after. It wasn't long until Alexander had his own label, aptly called Couture to the fast track to stardom has been decorated with accomplishments like his first runway show and a rapidly growing social media audience. It's clear that Alexander is headed for great things while inspiring other children to pursue their dreams, too. Lauren Smith Brody Founder of The Fifth Trimester Lauren Smith Brody is the founder of The Fifth Trimester, a movement that seeks to support working parents by creating more family-friendly workspaces. She is the author of The Fifth Trimester: The Working Mom's Guide to Style, Sanity, and Big Success After work has been featured in several publications, including Forbes, Fast Company, Harvard Business Review, Glamour, and Refinery29—to name a few. And before founding The Fifth Trimester, Brody was the executive editor of Glamour magazine. Mikey Latner Founder of Project: Camp Mikey Latner is a former camp director who founded Project: Camp after recognizing the restorative power of camp for children in crisis. Project: Camp pop-ups bring trauma-informed camp and childcare professionals to children affected by natural disasters, inspiring healing and making them feel safe. Project: Camp was committed to helping children through its holistic camp experience during the Altadena fires. Ms. Rachel Children's Advocate and Creator of Songs for Littles Ms. Rachel (aka Rachel Griffin Accurso) is the creator of the YouTube channel Songs for Littles, which has over 15 million followers. Blending her background in childhood education with her passion for music, she makes videos for babies and toddlers, developing their speech, language, and social-emotional Rachel has also dedicated herself to advocating for children globally, becoming a Save the Children Ambassador in 2023. Most recently, she's been raising awareness of children in conflict zones in Sudan, Ukraine, Gaza, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Neha Ruch Founder of Mother Untitled and Author of The Power Pause Neha Ruch is the author of The Power Pause: How to Plan a Career Break After Kids—and Come Back Stronger Than Ever. A mother of two whose own downshift inspired her mission, Neha is also the founder of Mother Untitled, the leading platform for ambitious women navigating a career pause to focus on family life.A thought leader on the intersection of women, work, and identity, Neha has built a movement amongst hundreds of thousands of women redefining modern motherhood. Through her platform, she is helping to reshape how society values stay-at-home mothers. Nicole Lynn Lewis Founder of Generation Hope A former teen mom, Nicole Lynn Lewis, has dedicated her professional life to helping teenage parents attend college and breaking generational cycles of poverty. She is the founder of Generation Hope, which helps student parents achieve academic success and build wealth while providing support for their children. The organization also works directly with universities to find ways to better serve students who are raising in the program are known as Generation Hope Scholars and 82% of them are employed or have enrolled in a graduate program within six months of graduating from college. Serena Williams Tennis Star, Maternal Health Advocate, and Founder of the Yetunde Price Resource Center One of the best athletes of all time, former tennis pro Serena Williams, is using her platform to advocate for change on and off the court. Williams brought attention to systemic inequalities that plague the country, particularly when it comes to Black maternal health care. In 2017, she experienced it herself—she suffered from a life-threatening complication after the birth of her first daughter, Olympia. Since then, she's been raising awareness and working with organizations, such as Baby2Baby, that help families in mom of two champions equal pay and gender equality in sports, as well as educational opportunities for youth around the world. She also uplifts women- and Black-funded businesses through her venture capital firm, Serena Ventures. And she helps victims of violence with the Yetunde Price Resource Center (YPRC), a nonprofit she launched in 2017 in honor of her older sister, Yetunde Price, who was killed in a shooting. Pooja Lakshmin Author of Real Self-Care and Founder of Gemma Dr. Pooja Lakshmin is a board-certified psychiatrist who is challenging what moms (and women) have been taught about self-care. Having gained national popularity by writing for the New York Times, Dr. Lakshmin has become a leading voice in mental health and has written about issues impacting parents around the released the best-selling book Real Self-Care in 2023, offering actionable strategies to help women set boundaries, move past guilt, and practice self-compassion. In 2020, Dr. Lakshmin also founded Gemma, the women's mental health digital education platform, which has educated thousands of women about perinatal psychiatry and mental health conditions. Reshma Saujani Founder of Girls Who Code, Author, and CEO of Moms First Reshma Saujani founded the nonprofit Girls Who Code with the goal of increasing the number of girls and women in the field of computer science. The organization teaches girls how to code through after-school and summer programming for young women from third grade through college. Saujani is also the founder and CEO of Moms First and the host of My So-Called Midlife with Lemonada she's turned her focus toward creating change for moms, advocating for affordable childcare, paid leave, and equitable pay. Saunjani is also the New York Times Bestselling author of PAY UP: The Future of Women and Work (And Why It's Different Than You Think), Brave, Not Perfect, and the Girls Who Code book series. Mia Cooley Founder of Parentxhood Mia Cooley is the founder of Parentxhood, an organization that supports Black queer parents from conception through child-rearing. Parentxhood supports LGBTQIA+ parents by finding affirming healthcare providers, securing adoption support, hosting virtual baby showers, and more. The organization also hosts events for community-building, like Family Weekend in the South. Peter Mutabazi "The Foster Dad Flipper" Peter Mutabazi, a single dad known on his social media platform as a "foster dad flipper," has fostered over 40 children and adopted three. His platform advocates for kids and shares the joys and challenges he encounters with his adopted children, Anthony, Ryder, and 10 years old, Peter ran away from an abusive home and lived on the street in Uganda for almost five years. He is deeply familiar with the hardships that kids can face without stable homes and created a foundation to provide support to vulnerable children. Peter is also the author of Love Does Not Conquer All—And Other Surprising Lessons I Learned as a Foster Dad to More Than 40 Kids. Read the original article on Parents Solve the daily Crossword