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AIBU?

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Who gets the room

88 replies

Lifeshardiko · 11/01/2025 11:09

So me and DH have 4 children between us- 2 are mine and he has 2- 3 are boys between 11 and 13 and a girl age 16. DSD no longer stays over often but visits for dinner, evening etc.
we have 2 double bedrooms and a box room - my DS11 is in 1 big room, his DS11 is in the other and my DS13 is in the box room. I feel it makes more sense for my DS to swap with DSS and mine are here everyday- there day is not around and DSD is here EOW so 2/14 days.
DH thinks I am being nasty as DSS has always been in this room (it was divided between him and DSD) but I think it makes more sense that the child in the home more has the larger space and it’s not about which kids is who’s more about using the space better.
what do others think as we can not agree

OP posts:
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Beamur · 13/01/2025 12:53

Have you considered reinstating the room partition? Then DSS remains in his room and an additional bedroom is created - which your son could have if bigger than the boxroom?

Gangans · 12/01/2025 22:30

Of course the children living permanently there get the larger room.
So your son is in a box room while a large empty room remains unused for 12/14 nights?

Why did you move in with a man who would think this is reasonable.
Awful behaviour.

And you sold your home for THIS????

Needspaceforlego · 12/01/2025 22:24

MissDoubleU · 12/01/2025 21:02

I think it’s unreasonable this wasn’t all ironed out before moving in. Why did you give the biggest available bedroom to children that were only there 2/14!? What made you think it was reasonable for a 16yo girl to share with her brother? Not really surprised she doesn’t want to stay overnight

Eh? Read the Ops posts the bigger room was divided to give he's DD & DS their own rooms. The division has been removed because of a dampness issue and the DD is no longer staying.

Circumstances have changed hence it makes perfect sense for them to reconsider who is in which room.

changecandles · 12/01/2025 21:34

BarbaraHoward · 12/01/2025 16:01

That was always DSS's room, and then you and your DC moved in and they get to see more of your partner than his own son? Yeah don't take his room, that would be really really mean, he probably feels pushed out as it is.

No that's not what happened at all 🤦🏻‍♀️

MissDoubleU · 12/01/2025 21:02

Lifeshardiko · 12/01/2025 18:51

Me and my DC don’t move in to their home we all moved in together - my DH previously rented and I had a mortgage on a 3 bed property and sold that to get bigger

I think it’s unreasonable this wasn’t all ironed out before moving in. Why did you give the biggest available bedroom to children that were only there 2/14!? What made you think it was reasonable for a 16yo girl to share with her brother? Not really surprised she doesn’t want to stay overnight

Lifeshardiko · 12/01/2025 18:51

BarbaraHoward · 12/01/2025 16:01

That was always DSS's room, and then you and your DC moved in and they get to see more of your partner than his own son? Yeah don't take his room, that would be really really mean, he probably feels pushed out as it is.

Me and my DC don’t move in to their home we all moved in together - my DH previously rented and I had a mortgage on a 3 bed property and sold that to get bigger

OP posts:
BarbaraHoward · 12/01/2025 16:01

That was always DSS's room, and then you and your DC moved in and they get to see more of your partner than his own son? Yeah don't take his room, that would be really really mean, he probably feels pushed out as it is.

MonkeyHarold · 12/01/2025 15:56

Lifeshardiko · 11/01/2025 11:30

The room was properly divided by stud walls so yes they shared a room but had privacy and own doors this was removed due to building/ damp work last month after her not staying for 7 months

Your stepson hasn't always been in the large room, which I believe was your husband's argument. He, your stepson, was in only the portion of the room that was used to make his bedroom. He wasn't sharing the room with his sister as they each had their own separate rooms after the room was divided.
Now that the dividing structure has been removed, your stepson has gained a new larger room to use for 2/14 days. Meanwhile, your son continues to use a room that's not big enough for all his stuff every single day.
That's not bloody fair. I get that your stepson probably feels that the larger room should be his and that he'd upset to be given the box room. However, you can absolutely justify doing that.
How would you ever justify to your son not giving him the larger room? How could you justify allowing your stepson to have the space of two bedrooms when your son barely has the space of one?

sodoffplease · 12/01/2025 15:40

I think the two children who live there full time should have the bigger rooms.

The other child has a room at their own house for all their things!

Spirallingdownwards · 12/01/2025 15:32

I suspect your DH is already feeling like he is the visiting partner because his daughter hardly visits and his son only EOW. He may feel like he is already subsidising your DC and therefore is sticking to his guns about his DS having one of the big rooms. Do you split costs equally or do you pay more because your DC are there full time? You and your children already take up more of the house than he and his children if you get my drift and to him it may seem like you want to decrease that and shove his kid into even less space.

AnxiousRose · 12/01/2025 15:23

Have you talked to DSD about why she has stopped staying? Was there an issue with damp in her room? Would she like to stay if she had her own space? She is still very young to have no bed in her dad's house.

Lifeshardiko · 12/01/2025 12:58

changecandles · 12/01/2025 08:01

It pisses me off that your dh can't see beyond his 'my son your son' mentality and see that it's a case of one person who lives in the house full time not having a proper sized space anywhere in his life whereas the other one has two big rooms one he uses 12/14 and the other he uses 2/14.

Of dh can't see beyond his territorial claim and focus on plain old logistics he sounds like someone I wouldn't enjoy being around

This is the disagreement as if we take out the titles of whose children are who’s and which are step and look purely as use and time in the house it makes sense to swap rooms

OP posts:
changecandles · 12/01/2025 08:01

It pisses me off that your dh can't see beyond his 'my son your son' mentality and see that it's a case of one person who lives in the house full time not having a proper sized space anywhere in his life whereas the other one has two big rooms one he uses 12/14 and the other he uses 2/14.

Of dh can't see beyond his territorial claim and focus on plain old logistics he sounds like someone I wouldn't enjoy being around

latetothefisting · 11/01/2025 22:50

It is very confusingly written post because you initially only referred to 3 bedrooms so it wasn't clear where you and DH slept, and said "DSD is here EOW so 2/14 days" but also "DSD no longer stays over".

Having read your updates, I think it's
Big room 1 - Your youngest DS (11) - always there
Big room 2 - Your DSS (11) - stays over 2 days every 14. Originally got the bigger room because he shared with DSS (16) when she stayed over but she no longer does
Box room - Your oldest DS (13) - always there

It's hard - if you were moving in brand new with the above situation of course it would make sense that the child who is rarely there gets the smallest room. But it's a bit different essentially kicking him out of 'his' room once he's got used to it.

Overall though it's still more unfair for your DS to have the smallest room when a big room is completely empty apart from 4/5 days every month. I'd give DSS/DH the option - either DSS keeps the room but DS can use it the days he's not here, to study, if he has a friend to stay over they can sleep there, etc or he moves to the smallest one and that's completely his own and private.

Blondeshavemorefun · 11/01/2025 22:33

Assuming your older child won’t move back ? How old is he ? Where did he move to

arcticpandas · 11/01/2025 20:19

A nobrainer: the kid who spends 2/14 days gets the boxroom no matter if it's DC or DSC. It's really logic, don't understand why your DH doesn't understand that?

Mixologism · 11/01/2025 20:14

Even if MN says you're right, I'm not sure how it helps. Your partner can still just say no, that's his DS's bedroom, he shouldn't have to move.

If DS13 is in Y9 I would leave it as it is for now and go for changing it in the summer "ready for his GCSE studies" as he will need a desk in his room. Then everyone has time to get used to the idea. But as to who gets the boxroom out of his little brother or DSS, honestly it's who wins the fight between you and your husband. Blended families are really difficult. If you could stretch to moving walls to even up the rooms, that would be ideal.

LizzoBennett · 11/01/2025 20:11

I would give DSS the option of sharing a room with DS13 or having the box room to himself. If DSS11 opts for sharing and DS13 isn't keen, then DS13 can sleep in the box room when DSS is visiting.

Lifeshardiko · 11/01/2025 20:00

We have 4 bedrooms so me and DH are in one- very similar size to the larger 2 rooms.
when we initially moved in my older son was in the box room and he since moved out so my boys were split due to their ASD them sharing was often a nightmare for the whole house. The older of my DS went in the box room as the younger still had toys and is very sensory so has a lot of sensory equipment needs that just would not fit in the box room

OP posts:
Ilovethatbear · 11/01/2025 18:40

So if you have three bedrooms and the DC occupy them, where do you sleep? Do you have a separate dining room you can convert? Your OP is quite confusing.

Re the DC, child who lives there full time gets the bigger room. Otherwise, DSD11 has two big bedrooms, but your DS has one box room, plus he’s there full time.

AnxiousRose · 11/01/2025 18:31

You need to ask DSD how she feels. It's not ideal to leave her without a space in her dad's home. I would be concerned about this. If DSS was in a smaller partitioned room then there shouldn't really be too big an issue moving him. But maybe make a fuss of him, let him choose paint colour decor etc. Is there any way you could put the partition back up?

Beamur · 11/01/2025 17:58

Whilst I can see the sense in giving the residents the bigger rooms, shifting your DSS to the box room could cause resentment. I think the feelings of the non resident child here does matter.
My resident DD had the smallest room until her older siblings (DSS and DSD) moved out. She now has DSD room.
But, we did use the older kids rooms for storing stuff like out of season clothes to make space for DD's stuff in her own room. They had no veto over that.

changecandles · 11/01/2025 17:50

Ponderingwindow · 11/01/2025 17:24

DSD still needs her own bed in her father’s house. She shouldn’t feel like a guest in what is supposed to be her own home.

I would look to fix the partition and the damp issue so you can subdivide the space again. Then you have a space for everyone and there is no issue of a bigger room sitting unused.

On so many boards about SDC it's very normal for them to not want to split time when they get to 15/16. Teens often don't actually spend a whole lot of time with their parents that age. They just want to be in their rooms. It's becomes more about the parents wanting them in their home more than the dc.

Genuinely it's often a chore at that age and it should always be about what works fir the dc

Blondeshavemorefun · 11/01/2025 17:49

caringcarer · 11/01/2025 15:34

This is a good solution. Where do you and DH sleep?

Op said the other 11/stepson can’t share with her kids

Ponderingwindow · 11/01/2025 17:24

DSD still needs her own bed in her father’s house. She shouldn’t feel like a guest in what is supposed to be her own home.

I would look to fix the partition and the damp issue so you can subdivide the space again. Then you have a space for everyone and there is no issue of a bigger room sitting unused.

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