“That’s my part of the closet!” “Turn off the light, I want to sleep!”… Are these squabbles familiar to you? They are definitely familiar to all parents whose children share the same room. Some parents have no choice but to have their children share one room, while others simply think that siblings who share one room have a closer relationship. In both cases, sharing a room between siblings has its advantages and disadvantages.
What are the advantages of sharing a room?
It teaches children how to negotiate in order to reach a final decision where they will be both happy.
It makes siblings bring out the best in each other. If one of them loves reading, the other will be encouraged to read.
It makes night-time better, especially for children who are scared to stay alone in their room at night.
It helps to strengthen relation between siblings.
What are the disadvantages of sharing a room?
Things get complicated when one child wakes up often at night or when the kids have different bedtimes.
For children with opposite temperaments sharing a room can create more conflict than you can handle: when one is messy and the other is neat, when one is noisy and the other is calm, etc.
The biggest disadvantage of sharing a room is the lack of privacy, and this problem occurs especially when kids begin to grow up. They begin to care about having time alone or inviting their friends.
Sometimes even with the problems that occur between your children, you have no other choice but having them share their room. Try to help your kids to sort out these problems by setting rules that both of them should follow!