I once worked with a young lady who was in her first job. She told me the story of how she had gotten hired at 18, and all the living space she could afford was an efficiency apartment. At that time, she was very close to her little brother, who was about ten years younger. Little Brother would occasionally need to get away from Mom and Dad, so he would come to spend a weekend with her. This happened frequently enough that he kept a supply of toys and games at her place. Because it was only one room, there was no dedicated storage space, so his stuff got shoved under the sofa.

Then came the day when she was promoted and was able to afford a bigger apartment with a bedroom. The entire family turned out to help her move, including Mom and Little Brother. When her sibling saw the bedroom, his first thought was great, a place to keep his toys and games.  He immediately blurted “Hey, you’ve got a play room!”

She had never seen her mother at such a loss for words.