Growing up in a 5-kid family, there wasn’t enough room for us to have our own bedrooms, so I know first-hand what it’s like to share a bedroom with siblings. In fact, I shared a bed with two of my younger siblings for a bit.
I encourage everyone to let your kids share a room at some point, and here’s why.
First, don’t feel sorry for kids that have to share a room. It builds character, but more importantly, it builds a bond.
We recently moved our 2.5-year-old daughter into our 5-year-old son’s room. Their bond has certainly gotten stronger, with the help of the quarantine lifestyle. They talk to each other before going to sleep. We let them “read” books in their beds before falling asleep. They wake up talking to each other and playing together in their room.
What I’m saying is they occupy each other’s attention while mommy and daddy get 30 more minutes of blissful sleep each morning.
They’re learning to share space and share toys. Sharing is such an important life skill that carries over into adulthood. Have you ever met a grown-up that doesn’t share well? We’re trying to equip our kids with this skill while they’re still young. I certainly think room-sharing helped me and my siblings with this skill.
They’re learning a sense of responsibility, not a sense of entitlement. I think we can all agree that entitlement is rampant in our society, so anything we can do to make it better, we’re going to start it early. Just because they exist doesn’t mean they’re entitled to their own bedroom. They’re held accountable when they can’t share nicely. They’re held accountable when they don’t help each other pick up their room.
The adults that own the home get more space in the house. Naturally, moving children to the same room is going to free up space that you could use for something else. In our case, our toddler daughter moved out of her crib to allow our baby daughter to use that room. We live in a 3-bedroom house, so it was imperative to create a space for our baby to sleep. In your case, it may be that you need a workroom, a craft room, an office, etc. Everyone could use more space for something!
What are your reasons for allowing your kids to room-share?
