Have you ever had the demanding house guest come and stay at your house? You know, the one who seems to have lots of requests despite the fact that they are getting a free place to stay?

Recently I had a house guest who said to me, “Am I going to get my own room?” I said, “Yes, you are going to sleep on an air mattress in my office. We only have two bedrooms, and the second bedroom is basically Sonja’s storage room.

So he said to me, “Nothing with a door?” I said, “No. You are going to be on the third floor of my house, though, and no one will be up there but you.” He said, “I am a really private person. Can you maybe clean up the second bedroom so I can sleep in there?”

This really surprised me. You are someone’s guest. They are saving you money. They are putting you up and allowing your energy in their house for a few days. I know when I stay at someone’s house, all I ever care about is whether a bed and thanking the person for letting me stay with them.

Some people, however, are very demanding when they are a house guest. Some people need to always have their things around them, and they can’t get out of their comfort zone.

So how does this tie into dating? It does. When you sleep over someone’s house for the very first time, are you cool about it or are you demanding about it?

The great thing about life is experiencing different things. Another great thing about life is being open. You need to open yourself up if you are a demanding house guest.

I know when I went to visit Sonja’s family in New Orleans, I preferred to stay in a hotel because it was quieter and easier. Staying with her family, though, gives me an opportunity to really hang out with them and to get to know them better.

So maybe I am not as comfortable as I normally am by staying with them, but sometimes it is not about comfort. Sometimes it is about the experience of getting to know new people and letting them getting to know you.