09/25/2025
✓ The Basement Wife Dilemma
I’ve honestly spent way too long thinking about this.
With the way the Lehi house was laid out, I just can’t figure out a fair arrangement for both Meri and Christine. They had to share one side of the house, one upstairs, one downstairs, while Janelle had the entire other side because she had the most kids at the time.
On the one hand, I get why Meri didn’t want a crowd of 10+ kids constantly running through her space just to get from Janelle’s section to Christine’s downstairs. Her house would’ve basically turned into a hallway.
At first, I thought: maybe Meri should’ve just taken the basement. But then again, her household was just her and Leon most of the time, so is it really fair to expect them to live under a family with 5 or 6 little kids constantly stomping around upstairs?
Honestly, the way that house was built, there really wasn’t a perfect solution. Having to go outside to get from Janelle’s side to Christine’s would’ve been awful too, especially with Utah’s winters. But I also wouldn’t want my home used as the main pass-through for a bunch of kids either.
Am I missing a more clever fix here? Because when I look at it, everyone’s perspective seems valid.
