How do we share one craft desk without making my daughter's belongings communal?
Parenting"It's our house now, not just yours," my partner told my thirteen-year-old when she complained that his nine-year-old had used her sketchbook. I agreed that the desk in the living room is shared. Then I saw the page. He had drawn over a character she'd spent the weekend designing.
My partner and his son moved in six weeks ago. Our apartment has room for one desk, and before the move my daughter used it for her drawings. Her pencils, glue and sketchbooks are still in the drawer. We talked about sharing the furniture. We didn't talk about the things inside it.
The younger child says he thought it was the family art book because it was beside the glue. My daughter says she saves her allowance for those books and should not have to hide them to keep them intact. She has now put everything in a bag in her bedroom and won't draw at the desk.
I can buy a set of shared supplies, but I can't produce a second workspace. My partner worries that giving her a private drawer will make his son feel like a visitor. I worry that telling her to share everything is making her feel like a visitor in a different way. What would a workable agreement cover before we ask either child to apologize?