The pros and cons of having each other's house keys

Absolutely great and wonderful, of course, that you have reached the point in your relationship where you decide to give each other house keys. And also very convenient, but sometimes also life-threatening. Every advantage has its disadvantage, as they say.

A big advantage is, of course, that you no longer have to awkwardly plan around each other's schedules. You have a dinner, he has a birthday, you sleep at his place that night and can come in whenever you're ready without having to wait for him first or vice versa. When my last relationship and I exchanged keys, it was really a relief. He was busy, I was busy, staying over at each other's places suddenly became much more frequent and we didn't have to make it a military operation to plan a day when we could see each other. In that sense, I am a big proponent of exchanging keys. I also always found it incredibly nice that when I came home after a day of work, he was already at my place stirring in the pots or lying on the couch watching a series. It had such a homely, cozy feel to it.

But there are also downsides. A friend of mine was recently lounging on the couch looking a mess. She was wearing UGGs, sweatpants with holes and stains, three sweaters on top of each other, her hair was sticking up, and there was no trace of makeup or a fresh face. And then her boyfriend, with whom she had just exchanged keys about a week or two before, texted that he was standing at the door. Surprise! I live on the third floor, so I always have about half a minute to hide the worst damage, but she lives on the ground floor, so she couldn't escape.

You know, so he doesn't see that I sometimes live in a pigsty

Another downside is that you now have to make sure your house is ALWAYS tidy. When men come over to my place, I usually make sure things are somewhat in order. You know, so he doesn't see that I sometimes live in a pigsty. But when he can come and go as he pleases, you never know when your house needs to be presentable, and that is quite an intensive extra daily task.

Another big downside is the extra responsibility. Losing your own keys is mainly a hassle for yourself, but losing his keys is a whole different story. Men generally find it incredibly annoying that the average woman could even lose her own left leg, especially when it happens with his stuff.

In short, you have to be an acceptable version of yourself 24/7 and always have your house in order, but you do get a lot in return for that. Long live love! Haha totally kidding, I haven't lost my faith, kids.