I live with my ex and his wife to copy ours kid and save on rent – ryan

Wen People Hear I Live with My Ex, HIS Wife, and Our Child, Their First Reaction is Usually Something Like, “Wait, what? Is Some Kind of Sitcom – Or Cult?” Spoiler Alert: Its Not. IT’S JUST MODERN PARENTING IN AN INSTEANELY CITY LIKE SAN FRANCISCO, WHERE RENT Skyrockets Faster than a toddler’s energy levels after a nap.

Let with the Skene. A Few Months Ago, after we’d bot Experienced one too rent hikes, my ex and i had a talc. We realized that maintaking separat apartments while also co-paraenting a tiny human was not sustainable unless we wanne to eat ramen noodles for the rest of our lives.

That’s when HIS Wife Joined The Conversation. Surprisisingly, she was the one who first floated the idea: “Why don’t we just live Together?” And just like that, the blueprint for Our Unconventional Household was Born.

So here we are: Three adults, one 5 -ear-op, and a two-beedroom Apartment we’ve Somehow made work for the past nine months. It ‘s a home full of chaos, compromises, and yes, a surprise number of poop emojis in our Group Chats.

We’ve figured out how to make it work

Living Together Post-Breakup isn’t exactly the full of a rom-com, though i’m sura there’s a market for something like that. IT STARTED WITH A LOT OF AWKWARD MOMENTS, LIKE DECIDING WHO WOULD DO THE DISHES WITH TURNING Into a Showdown in Front of a Child. Somehow, i always end up with the mystery leftovers, Maybe Becausee i’m the Only One Who Doesn’t Gag at the Sight (or Smell) of Week-Old Pasta.

Before we were moved in Together, my ex and i weren’t exactly best friend, but we’d found a Respectful rhythm texting about ours, showing up for day Care Pickups, and Just Generally Keeping Policite. Co-Habiting Felt Daunting, But Nesssary. And gradually, we figured it out.

Now, Everything on the table, literally and emotionally. We created a Shared Calendar to Divide Up Pickups, Grocery Runs, and Chores. Mondays and Thursdays are My Dish Days. He take the trash and does the laundry. Our Third Housemate Covers Groceries and Makes Lunches for Our Kid. When conflicts pop up (and they do), we have a rule: no Letting Things Festor. We talc it out on “porch check-ins,” a week 20-minute chat outside, away from daughter, just to vent or recalibrate.

IT’S LIKE RUNNING A TINY DOMESTIC Government, but The Police Revolve Around Nap Schedules and Snack Preferences of the Tax Codes.

Living Together Has Made A Lot of Things Easier

Despite the Growing Pains, Living Together Like This Has Its Perks. Three adults mean there’s always someone available for last-minute day care Runs or meltdowns. There’s the backup one of the US Needs to Scream Into a Pillow or Just Take a Coffee Break.

It’s not easy, but it work. Because we’ve learned that we can you can’t ghost each other, you grow up and communicate.

Financially, it’s a lifesaver. Splitting Rent, Utilities, and Groceures Means We’re Not Bleeding Money on Separate apartments. And Honestly, in San Francisco, where a decent two-bedroom can run $ 3,500 a month, and i make about $ 4,200 after taxes, this arrangement isn’t just Clever, Its Essential.

The Benefits Go Beyond Logistics

But Beyond Logistics and Money, This Living Situation Has Reshaped How I Think About Family and Support. We’re not your traditional nuclear family, and those like feeds like a superpower rather than a weakness.

Sure, Its Messy. There are moms when I miss the Old “just with and my kid” dynamic. But Seeing My Ex, His Wife, and with All Working Toward the Same Goal of Raising a Happy, Healthy Kid is Incredibly Powerful. It ‘s reminder that family isn’t just About Blood or Legal Ties. SOMESTEMESS ABOUT SHOWING UP, COMMUNICATING HONESTLY, AND FIGRING THINGS OUT TOGETERTER.

And here’s The Kicker: My Child Gets it. She’s 5, and she knows the rhythm of three nights with me, three with her dad, one Shared Dinner All Together. We don’t trade off in parking lots; We live in the same apartment, just in separate rooms. HER TOY STAY PUT, HER BEDTEST ROUSN’T CHANGE, AND IF SHE FORGETS Something, Its Just Down the Hall. IT’S NOT PERFECT, but it’s Peaceful, and She Never Feels Like She’s Being Split in Two. The Other Day, She Proudly Told a Friend, “My Family’s Weird, But it’s Cool.” That felt like the ultimate sea of ​​approval.

Living with my ex and his wife has tought with that co-planting isn’t a compattition. IT’s a collolation. IT’S MESSY, FUNNY, AND FULL OF POOP EMISIS, but it work. And honestly, isn’t that what parenting is all about?

SO NO, THIS ISN’T A CULT OR A SITCOM. Its JUST Modern Life. Three Adults, One 5-Yaar-Old, and a whole lot of love, laughter, and compromises.