How to share a bedroom with a sibling
While there are several obstacles to overcome when sharing a bedroom, there are a few tricks parents can try to foster peaceful cohabitation between their children.
Especially in today’s economy, it is not always affordable to own a home with a bedroom for each of your children.
According to regional director and CEO of RE/MAX of Southern Africa, Adrian Goslett, now that multi-generational households are becoming increasingly popular, young children might have to bunk up in order to allow their grandparents their own space within the home.
“Financially, it might not be an option to move to a larger home to accommodate everyone.
“But, as a parent of two children myself, I know how challenging it can be to keep the peace between siblings, and these challenges only escalate when your children are sharing a bedroom,” he said.
“Homeowners will have to weigh up the financial strain of moving to a larger home against the emotional strain of trying to get their children to share a space amicably.
“That being said, sharing a room could allow your children the opportunity to bond and to learn some valuable lessons in sharing and being considerate towards others.”
While there are several obstacles to overcome when sharing a bedroom, there are a few tricks parents can try to foster peaceful cohabitation between their children.
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The first of which is to recognise that one bedroom does not have to mean one bedtime – particularly if there is an age gap between your children.
Setting one bedtime often results in trying to wrangle an older sibling into bed before they’re tired and/or keeping a younger sibling awake to the point where they are overtired and more prone to emotional outbursts.
Instead, implement different bedtimes and keep the older child out of the room until it reaches time for them to join their younger sibling in their slumbers.
Another trick that could work is to allow each child to design their own space within the bedroom.
Giving them the freedom to make their allocated space their own will help them feel like they have a safe space that belongs to them alone that they can go to when they are feeling upset or frustrated.
“When it comes to selling, homeowners will just have to remember to depersonalise the space and make it more neutral to allow buyers the ability to picture themselves in the space,” Goslett advised.
As a final piece of advice, Goslett recommended that homeowners up their storage game.
A misplaced toy or item of clothing is the easiest way to start an argument between your children.
Colour code the shelving so that your children know where their items belong.
“Good built-in storage often adds value to a property, so investing in well-designed, built-in wardrobes will not only minimise arguments between your children, but will also add value to your home in the long run,” Goslett said.
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