Spacial Restrictions

My family lives in a mobile home and lives in very close quarters. Our room, bathroom, and babies’ nursery is on one side of the house to maintain closeness on purpose. I hope that there is never a fire but I want the whole family close just in case so I could grab the kids quickly. It makes communication easier because we always know where each other are located; however, when my husband and I are having a disagreement it makes things difficult because there is not a place to go and be alone. We do have one room at the very end of the mobile home but it is full of boxes and not a very good place to go and think about whatever just happened. We just moved so we do not have much décor in the house; however, we only have one couch and one glider rocker so it makes it hard to avoid communication. Our couch is rounded so for both of us to be on it we pretty much have to maintain physical contact and communicate.

There are no real boundaries within our house. We sometimes share our feelings that we need space and we will try to give it; however, rather than expressing that vocally there are no boundaries. Between our house and the outside environment I have worked hard to create boundaries. I want my husband and I to talk about anything and everything but there is a time and a place. I do not want to talk about an issue we have been having while at dinner with friends or visiting with family. I wish to do that within our own family’s walls. I think because of this we have an isomorphic appearance. We are not fake in public, but we have the same appearance as everyone else that we have it all together. Technically we all have our differences though and different ways of handling conflict and hard situations. That would make us different from the rest of the people we associate with.

Classmate Response:
I think the Burley family has the perfect balance of spatial restrictions. They allow for intimate relationships within the family but allows individual space within their own rooms. I think this is how it should be because everyone just needs some time alone and if there are tensions within the household there needs to be places to retreat to until the tension has settled.