Sharing bedrooms—is it so bad?

The Spokesman ran a wire story today about how the economy is forcing some families to either downsize or stay in smaller homes longer even as their clan grows. What does this mean for the youngest family members? Sharing rooms.

The article points out the potential benefits to siblings who share rooms, including the tight bonds that can form between them. I thought this quote summed things up nicely:

“I think it teaches children to be thankful for what they have, and realize you don’t need your own everything” said Laura Brown-Willingham, whose three children, ages 9, 8 and 6, share a room in the family’s 800-square-foot cedar cabin in Davidson, N.C.

So is sharing rooms all that bad? My husband shared a room with three of his siblings—two brothers and a sister—until age 10. His sister jokes about how tough it was (she finally hung a curtain around her bed for a bit of privacy), but they’re a tight-knit family now and her own children share rooms today. In fact, two of her daughters share a bed—they can’t sleep unless they’re cuddled up together twirling each other’s hair.

Shared bedrooms can look darling, too. This Web site has ideas and photos for boy and girl rooms, as well as general storage solutions. And the children’s design Web site Ohdeedoh has brought up the topic a few times, including here and here .

My husband and I plan to have our daughters share a room once the youngest graduates to a big-girl bed. I’m looking forward to that day, but I have to admit that I didn’t have to share a room with anyone until college so let me know if I’m being naive about the challenges ahead.

Sharing rooms is often the responsible choice on many levels. Owning a smaller house usually makes the most financial sense, and it puts less strain on the environment. There are fewer rooms to heat. Fewer building materials required. A smaller foundation to pour. And, as the end of the article points out, fewer rooms to clean and maintain:

Charlotte Observer parenting columnist Betsy Flagler says putting kids in the same room can breed close-knit relationships between siblings.

“Parents don’t need to apologize for having siblings share bedrooms. I think younger children especially prefer cozier homes than huge, rambling houses with a thousand square feet per person,” Flagler says.

The Willinghams hadn’t intended such tight quarters, but when dad Christopher lost his job about three years ago, the family moved from a 2,400 square-foot house into the cabin they once leased to renters.

Mom Laura acknowledges that space is tight – she salivates over the prospect of having two bathrooms again – but she says she’ll always opt for a cozy cottage over a cavernous mansion.

Big homes mean “huge upkeep,” she says: “I’d rather have a bigger barn with animals in it than a huge house.”

Photo courtesy of Ohdeedoh