Most people would want a bigger family. That also means that you’ll have to have a bigger space to fit everyone. In urban areas, space is a big issue and most families would have to fit themselves in a small apartment or condominium. If you are affluent enough, you might want to buy a big house and give each member of the family a space to have privacy. Either way, a room can be a special place for one, and this could be true for most children as well.
However, some parents choose to have their kids share space instead of giving each one a room of their own. Although there is still some opinions on this one, some parents would choose to make their kids sleep in the same room instead of being in separate ones.
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According to the Romper page, there are some things that kids would have liked when they shared rooms with their siblings. Others would also have some bad experiences with it. Perhaps one sibling would like a dark room when sleeping while the other wants a bit of light to be able to doze off. Sharing a space may not be easy for an introverted child, especially if the other sibling is a bit on the active side.
Good and bad, there will always be effects on your kids when they share rooms. However, there are actually benefits to sharing a room than not doing so. Aside from not worrying about the living space, your kids could actually get some benefits when they share their room with a brother or a sister.
Advantages to Room Sharing
In an article on the Education Magazine page, some parents choose to have their children share bedrooms for the bonding experience they will have while they are growing up. This can somehow force the interaction between siblings and also, teach them to compromise and put up with all the things that most brothers or sisters do. If there are some privacy issues to be settled, they can do it on their own while at the comforts of their room.
It sometimes happens that siblings aren’t close to each other. However, most children who shared their rooms are a tad closer than others due to the fact that they had more discussions or even bonding moments with their siblings. You can expect kids to be more generous, giving, and patient when it comes to their sibling or other children for that matter, according to the Room to Grow UK page. You will also expect them to develop better collaboration with their brothers or sisters, or even with other kids at school. This could help them in later life when they start having their own jobs or dealing with other people within society.
Children with some mental health issues can improve or even heal better when they are with someone in their room. This could actually be better for them than being on their own. According to James Crist, a clinical psychologist and co-author of the book, “Sibling: You’re Stuck With Each Other, So Stick Together,” children who have anxiety issues can feel more relaxed when a family member stays in the room. This can also make your children sensitive to the needs of others since they know that they do not fully own their space. This can build a good character foundation for your child and may even have good effects when they start working in the real world.
Disadvantages
Though there can be some benefits to your kids sharing bedrooms, there can also some disadvantages to it. You’ll have to expect some conflicts, whether petty or major to happen. Issues could be from using a particular corner of the room to missing items. As parents, you should be able to accept that your children will have unique characteristics, and they will be different from each other, even if they are twins. In some other cases, there could be some physical issues like not being of the same gender or more serious ones like sexual abuse from another sibling. Some children with disabilities can actually affect those inside the room, and this kind of case should be given more priority.
Also, if your children are already in their teens, it would be wise for you to let them have their own rooms. Teenagers tend to need a degree of privacy and personal space. So if you are planning to avoid conflicts among your kids and you as parents, then it would be advisable to let them have their own rooms in their teen years.
No matter what you choose, as parents, you will be mostly in control of the situation at home. If your children are sharing rooms, try to establish boundaries though do not push them that much to do so since they would have to compromise on the space. Also, stay neutral when it comes to disagreements. This would allow them to settle their disputes by themselves and come up with a way to agree on things. They should be able to know that they must take care of their relationships, according to Alyson Schafer, a psychotherapist and parenting expert.
In the end, if space is the issue, you might just want to let your children sleep in one bedroom, at least, for the meantime.
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