Sharing a home with your family is rarely as easy as it seems, especially when it comes to navigating space constraints.

One college student is pressured to give up her room when her sister moves back in after a hardship.

When she refuses, she’s forced to question where her loyalty to her family ends and her need for personal space begins.

Read on for the full story.

AITA for refusing to give up my bedroom for my niece and nephew?

I (19F) still live at home with my parents while I attend college.

I pay for my own tuition and contribute to household expenses when I can, but since my school is local, living at home saves me a ton of money.

But then everything changed.

Recently, my older sister (27F) and her two kids (5M & 3F) moved back in after her divorce.

She’s struggling financially, and my parents are letting her stay here rent-free until she gets back on her feet.

I get that it’s a tough situation, and I’ve been helping out with the kids when I can.

But now her family is expecting her to make some sacrifices.

The issue is that my parents want me to give up my bedroom so my sister’s kids can have their own space.

We have a small house, and my sister is already taking the guest room, so the kids are currently sleeping with her.

My parents think it would be better for them to have their own room and are asking me to move to the couch or “make do” by squeezing into their office space.

But she doesn’t find this fair at all.

I said no.

I’ve lived here my whole life, and this is still my home.

I need my own space, especially since I have a heavy college workload.

I don’t see why I should be the one to sacrifice my room when this situation isn’t my fault.

Now everyone is turning against her.

My sister is upset, saying her kids are uncomfortable, and my parents are disappointed in me for “not being more understanding.”

Now the whole house is tense, and I’m wondering if I’m being selfish.

AITA?

Boundaries are important, even for families.

What did Reddit have to say?

Parents really need to stop acting like their kids are everyone else’s responsibility.

This user offers the college student a possible script to help navigate the conflict.

It’s possible her parents have ulterior motives here.

If the parents want to help out so bad, maybe they should put their money where their mouth is.

It’s easy for someone else to talk about sacrifice when they aren’t the ones actually giving something up.

At the end of the day, everyone needs their own space to thrive.

If you thought that was an interesting story, check out what happened when a family gave their in-laws a free place to stay in exchange for babysitting, but things changed when they don’t hold up their end of the bargain.