AITA for telling my mom the house is nasty and stinks
i am currently 22 years old and a new hire flight attendant who travels for work. because im at the bottom of seniority/pay, i can’t really afford to live alone right now, and honestly paying for an apartment im barely home at doesn’t make sense to me. so i still live with my parents and my 16 year old brother in the house i grew up in.
when i was younger, my mom was a complete neat freak. the house was always spotless and she cleaned constantly. now things are completely different.
years ago my grandparents passed away and left behind a really nice camper that they used through their camping club. my parents decided to keep it in our backyard, and over time they basically moved into it full time while my brother and i stayed in the house. they still pay expenses for both, but they spend almost all their time in the camper besides coming inside to cook or watch my nephew during the week.
the problem is that the actual house has become disgusting. they leave food out for days, don’t clean up after my nephew, rarely change the cat litter, and basically never clean the messes they make. my mom also started making crafts with sticks, leaves, and vines, and half the living room is covered in dirt, bugs, and random debris she never cleans up. there are constantly dishes piled in the sink, food on the floor, and dirty bathrooms. the smell is awful sometimes.
my little brother also gets away with everything. his room is disgusting, and he leaves the bathroom filthy. i constantly tell him to clean up after himself but he never does, and my mom never says anything to him about it. i end up cleaning it because i don’t want to live in filth.
what frustrates me most is that the camper they live in is spotless and smells amazing. meanwhile the actual house they leave my brother and i in is disgusting. it feels like they don’t care because they aren’t the ones really living in it anymore.
and before anyone says “why don’t you just clean it yourself?” i DO. constantly. i’ll spend hours cleaning, leave for work for a few days, and come back to the house looking horrible all over again.
i don’t expect perfection, but i genuinely cannot function in a dirty environment. it’s frustrating because i help pay bills here too, and i hate that this is the example being set for my brother. i know im choosing to continue living here for now, but it’s the best option i have financially at this stage in my life. i’ve tried bringing up that something needs to change for everyone’s sake, but nothing really does.