While I now have a large and diverse family, most of my childhood was spent as an only child with a single parent, so watching my children grow together as siblings has been a new experience for me.
When we bought our house, I thought we had planned it perfectly – a separate room for each of the kids, and a playroom downstairs to share. If only I had known that we would have a change of heart and make the decision to add one more to our family.
As I move through my final trimester of pregnancy, I am starting to prepare for the arrival of my third child, and am realizing that it’s a whole different planning process. The first big step: moving my two older kids into the same room.
The thought of moving my son into his sister’s room has given me a little anxiety. Will he feel resentful losing the freedom of having his own space? Will it be strange for a sister and brother to share a bedroom?
So far they’ve been in the same room for two nights, and while the sleeping at night part has gone smoothly, things have been a little different during the day. When the sun rises, so arises a few issues with their new accommodations.
This morning my daughter woke up early and wanted to turn on the lights so she could play, while my son wasn’t ready to open his eyes, hoping for a little more rest in the dark. I awoke to a frustration-fuelled squabble over the light switch. And as I rolled out of my bed to help them sort it out, it happened. “This is MY room, MY rules!” my daughter screamed at her little brother.
I talked them through it, explained that the room is now a shared space, and that they’ll need to make some compromises to make it work. While that little spat was quickly resolved, I wondered how much more challenging it would be when the third is added to the mix.
My plan is for the two older children to share a room until their new little sister is ready to move out of her crib (and is sleeping through the night), and then we’ll build a new room, or move the girls into the same room. Until then, I’m approaching this new challenge with bated breath, and making sure that each of my children feels loved as we prepare for the arrival of their new sibling.
I’d love to hear your input – did you share a room growing up? Do your children share a room? Any tips?
1 Comment
The arrival of a baby is certainly a cause for joy but sometimes it becomes a cause for concern for parents.Special when they have to share a room with a baby in one bedroom apartment. Nice blog really. I like the way to prepare baby.