A Man's throneroom is his castle

I am working on a more serious post, but since I have been informed that I am getting to serious, and I want to keep my readership, and keep them happy, I shall put that on hold to discuss a matter that I have been holding in for a while.

My bathroom.

It is well documented that in a man's castle is his throne. This is where much great thinking is done, as well as introspection, contemplation ( of thoughts and navels, whatever one's fancy) and other matters more mundane.

Now, I was blessed to have a bathroom in my bedroom ( well, not IN the bedroom, but attached to it. Please do NOT be so literal!) when I was growing up. However, I had to share that one with a washing machine instead of a sink, so it was not ideal, but it was close enough. When I moved as a youngster, we had three in the house, as well as sinks outside of the business area, so there was enough space for most activities simultaneously at peak times like school mornings and bedtimes.

Now, when I got married, I only had one, but with just one person to share it with at first, and still for quite some time after the little ones showed up (anywhere they were was their bathroom), there was not much demand for the for my little refuge from the world. Even so, as I had waaay to much time during those days, I put a phone in the bathroom, so that I would never have to go more than 20 feet to answer the phone, to emulate a revered figure in my life, or be interrupted when busy. ( You might ask why I didn't just use a cordless. 2 reasons. 1, you had to remember to take it with you, and 2, with so many kids in the building, the monitors would pick up cordless phone conversations. I spent hours listening.... that's for another time).

When we moved to a 2 bedroom apartment, we were extremely lucky to have a master bathroom, and got so comfortable with it, that it was one of the few requirements I really wanted in a house.

So now I am in a house. With a master bathroom. And two other bathrooms. Six people, three bathrooms, enough for everyone, I should be thrilled, right?

Please.

While it is true that I have a master bathroom, I am no longer the master of the room. For some reason, the other two perfectly good bathrooms are not good enough for my family, and there seems to be a special bond between the children and my sanctuary. Now, keep in mind that when Bug left, we didn't lose a son for a year, we gained a bathroom, as he pretty much had a lock in the main one. But even though you might think that the congestion issue had abated, the traffic through my room has only increased this past year.

Now sometimes I can understand, like this morning, when we had two teenage guests overnight, so there were time constraints on getting the morning toilette done before buses and rides showed up, but I am talking on a regular basis. I don't want to share the bathroom with more than one person. Look at the numbers. I shouldn't have to.

So my question is, what is so darned attractive about the room for everyone? Is it the lovely decor? the newspaper and old readers digest? the baseboard? I don't get it, but every time I want to just sit for a moment and relax, I am shooing someone out, or having to deny the regular requests for access. However, I am not the only one with the keys to the room, and Lovey does not share my deep attachment to the sanctity of the throne. I think this is part of the problem, but one that I am forced to deal with.

I just need my space, even if it is only five by seven.