Pros and Cons of Siblings Sharing a Room

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I grew up as an only child until I was 10 years old. This meant that I had a lot of time to myself in my bedroom.  As a little girl with no one sharing the room, it seemed so spacious. Even when my brother was born, I never needed to share a bedroom with him.  So, essentially I had my own space until I left for college.

Let’s just say that having a roommate in college was not easy for me.  I HATED sharing space with someone else.  Plus, it was a dorm room, so it was a tiny space that I was now living in with another person.  I’ve always wondered if I would have adjusted more easily my freshman year of college if I had shared a room as a child.  Maybe the transition wouldn’t have been quite so difficult.

Fast forward to motherhood and I decided that I wanted my boys to share a room so they could receive the benefits of room sharing that I didn’t have as a child.

Sidenote– my first two children were the same gender so it was an easy decision to put them together.  I do not know if I would have put them together if they were two different genders.  So, I kept them separate until it was time for my second child to move out of his crib. Then we went out and bought bunk beds that they could grow with because the top and bottom bunk were full size beds. At that time, my oldest was 5 years old and my second boy was 2 years old.

Well…. my oldest is now 9 and he is asking about when he can have his own room. Technically, he could now because we have a spare bedroom.  We use the extra bedroom as a guest room which is necessary since we live so far from family and they come to visit us often. This has led to some serious discussions about why we put them together in the first place and when it is appropriate to give them their own space. Plus, my 6 year old son loves sharing a room and has no desire to be separated. So, I’ve created a list of pros and cons of siblings sharing a room to help us decide when to separate them.

Sharing a room featured image

PROS

  • Both boys are very good at sharing
  • The fact that they have shared a room has helped them create quite a special bond

    These room sharing siblings have a close bond
    These room sharing siblings have a close bond
  • They communicate with one another-A LOT
  • I love walking by their room and hearing them have great conversations while laying in bed
  • All of their toys are stored in their closet in a central location
  • They never come get in bed with us because they just climb in each other’s bed if they get scared
  • The room has been filled with laughter at all times of the day which will create life-long memories

CONS

  • When they get on each other’s nerves, they don’t have a room that they can escape to and get a break

    Despite their close bond, they get frustrated with one another and need to work it out
    Despite their close bond, they get frustrated with one another and need to work it out
  • My oldest is beginning to want more privacy
  • My oldest has different needs such as wanting a desk for homework and more quiet time to study
  • Sickness! Sharing a room can lead to passing on more germs more easily
  • If one is sick, we have to find somewhere for the other child to go
  • The room is always messy because there are two people living in there with all of their toys

Would you want your children to share a room?
What are the pros and cons of your kids
sharing a room?

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