My S's roommate is Pigpen

anon94785555
Sat, 15 Nov 2008 00:37:30 +0000

Son’s school doesn’t bother with roommate matching as they found out random assignments work just as well- makes sense based on answers given on questionnaires (I would have changed some of son’s answers for summer GT camps…). I dislike clutter and remember one roommate who filled her “half” of the dorm room with numerous posters (including a grossly hairy nude, was it John Travolta who posed for Playgirl in the early '70’s?).

When son was a freshman we moved him in and stopped by with forewarning days later, but before classes started, with two grandparents (H’s M, my F) to show them his room and drop off some stuff- son’s towel bar was empty, towels on desk, bookshelves nearly empty, books on chair, etc… his roommate had gone home for the weekend leaving an unmade lofted bed. The following May I cleaned a disgusting microwave turntable (the last spill was still liquid) before loading it up to bring it home.

Sophomore dorm room- saw it twice- move in and move out days. He discovered that when you leave a mac and cheese messy microwave bowl in the dorm hall sink over winter break you lose it- at least it was cheap. This summer I told son I would not clean “his” (by default of being only child) bathroom since he should learn how before moving into his apt this fall (I had stopped dusting his room years ago, and couldn’t find his floor to vacuum)- it was his problem if he wanted to take a bath, and his own dirt. H once removed four bowls with spoons from the upstairs computer room. I no longer need to do a house check before running the dishwasher.

When son was considering apt mates I asked him if they knew how messy his room was, apparently they had no problems with things. This August he and apt mates staggered their move in days- two moved in on the first available day (a Sat) and then on Wed son moved in- there was an open dishwasher full of clean looking dishes and a huge bunch of very ripe bananas in the kitchen (I seem to remember good prices that week and suspect a mother helped provision her son). A few days later son’s HS friend and now roommate (an added person agreed to by the others) moved in. The following Wed we brought more stuff, I stayed with the car while H helped unload it- he reported the same bunch of bananas was still there, only blacker. He also stated no intention of entering said apt again…

Son’s roommate is a transfer student he had gone to a cross country camp with- a week in dorms. In talking to his mother I found out they/he? ironed T-shirts- I had discarded the idea of an iron or ironing board for son. She, like me, had sent all sorts of cleaning supplies- I’m sure other mothers also did, but she had talked to her son about weekly cleaning, with daily touchups (I have the time and used to clean house every two weeks when son was young, now every month). I haven’t talked to her since taking those last items but in conversations with my son I don’t detect any problems between the two or others. I wish I could find out how the roommate adapted- does he clean as often, or did son and the others corrupt him… Son has an odor sensitive nose at home, how he has done things at school…