Should Your Kids Share a Room?

On Wednesday, we had a posting about roommates; following that trend, we will discuss today what’s good and bad about kids sharing a room.? If you are able to choose whether or not your kids share a room, consider the following:

1.? Inclusion: When kids are younger, they don’t necessarily need their own space; instead, they enjoy being around siblings.? When kids grow older, having their own space is important to them.? You can still give younger kids their own space when they share a room too: reading a bed-time story is a great way for one-on-one time.

2.? Bedtime: If your kids are different ages, it may not be possible to put them to bed at the same time; this actually may be better, as some children stay up talking and joking.? For kids who are similar ages with the same bedtime, using blackout curtains or a white noise machine gets rid of distractions.

3.? Privacy: Especially with siblings of the opposite sex, privacy becomes more important as they grow older.? If possible, siblings should have separate rooms by age six.

4. Transition: If sharing a room is new, make sure to be explicit to let them know that the room belongs to both of them.? Giving each a sense of personal space within the room means that a part of the room is one of their’s, but the room as a whole belongs to both of them.