Two houses
„Ype and I have known each other for 40 years, but 5 years ago the spark really jumped during a spontaneous lunch appointment. We’ve been in a relationship ever since. Ype is with me 4 or 5 days a week. The other days of the week he spends time with his daughter and I am at home with my two children. We both have a very nice house in the heart of The Hague, but we are short of a room in both houses to accommodate 3 teenagers. This was the perfect solution for us.
The fact that we have our own home also means that we run our own household. I have a lot more time for that now that I no longer work as a lawyer. I still work full time for our company, but I don’t have to work on location as much anymore. I usually work from home and I just grab the vacuum cleaner or mop during my lunch break. Ype doesn’t like cleaning very much, he has a housekeeper in his own house. Although he also keeps the household himself.
Blind spot for junk
On the days that Ype is with me, we take turns cooking. Ype is more into the roast meat, while I like to cook from a cookbook. We both do our own laundry, we don’t want to burden the other with that. After all, creating adolescents was enough.
I have accepted that adolescents have a blind spot for their own junk, it is rare that they throw their own clothes in (or on) the laundry basket. For us, the biggest advantage of the lat relationship is that we have a lot of quality time with our kids. We spend half of the week together, then the children are with their father or mother, the other half of the week I have full attention for my son and daughter.
Business partners
Ype and I are business partners as well as lovers. Together we are founders of a network app Great to Meet, where people create a digital business card and know exactly who they can contact at network events or meetings. Actually, it’s business dating!
It is great fun to work together, we can celebrate all successes together. But we also make sure that we keep having fun together. When we have to escape our working relationship for a while, we dive into the favorite pub or the gym together.
Offers
Since our company is still in the start-up phase and the app is free, I am careful with money. We buy groceries that are on sale and I don’t buy expensive clothes anymore. Ype works double, because he is also a project developer. We don’t have a joint account except for our company. We pay outings alternately, we just like that.
The kids
Our children are in the same age phase, but we don’t interfere in each other’s upbringing. They already have a father and mother, they do not need a third parent. We have never had to make agreements about that, we feel the same way about it.
We do go on holiday with all the children, luckily they like each other very much! The moment that they fly out is also getting closer and closer. Then Ype and I would love to live together, probably in my house!
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