DC room arrangements, who should share?

[BedroomPickle]

I have 4 sons, 18, 16, 14 and 7. There are 4 bedrooms, me and DS7 have the downstairs bedrooms and upstairs DS16 and DS14 share and then DS18 has his own room.

My sister has some issues and whilst she needs to sort herself out I'm going to be looking after her kids, I don't know how long it will be for but it's looking like quite a while right now. My nieces are 15 and 13 and my nephew is 12. I'm thinking the girls will have to move into DS7s room and share and then I'll have to make upstairs for the boys. That leaves DS7 and my nephew needing rooms so I don't know who should share. I could have DS14, DS16 and DS18 in one room and then my nephew and DS7 in the other but DS14 and DS18 don't get on very well so having them all in the same room sounds like an accident waiting to happen, although all DC share one room at their dad's house.

I'd really appreciate other people's opinions on who should share because I'm stuck on who should go where.

Keep a room for yourself even if it's the smallest one. Your sons have somewhere to escape to at their dad's but you don't

You sound super organised.

I think most teen girls would prefer two singles to bunk beds.

@CareerConcerns1999

That's a really good idea, then I could have DS14 and 16 in my double bed and DS7 on the sofa bed in there and me in DS7s room whilst we figure out who is most comfortable where. That would save me trying to move single beds upstairs by myself tomorrow!

how about this?

All 5 boys in small room ( dormitory room) = their clothes

2 girls in another small room

One room, a daytime room, wharted between them, with desks for hw, plus laptops, headphones, x box, or any basically sitting down activity

Living room for the more action toys for the younger ones

And you get a bedroom, which could also be a quiet seating area for individual children during the day, if needed?

shared between them, not wharted. Im not sure what wharting is

At the minute there's a double bed + sofa bed in my room, - your nieces and nephew. They'll want to be together until they settle and if it's short term then this will give you time to see how dynamics work

a single bed in DS7s room, - DS18

bunk bed with double bed at the bottom in DS16 and DS14s room - add your DS7 in here

then a small double in DS18s. - You

If it goes long term then you could look at putting another bed into the boys room or putting DS18 into the small double with your nephew, and you into the single room.

Which of the teenagers are in Y11? Given you're not sure how long this arrangement will be for, I would factor exams and the need for revision space into the set up too. It definitely makes sense to try out a few combinations before moving beds around the place by yourself but I also wonder if DS18 might feel he'd prefer to sleep at his Dad's whilst his cousins need to be accommodated or even, depending on the type of sorting herself out your sister needs to do, if he might be able to stay at hers.

I don't know why I hadn't considered nieces and nephew in the same room, that makes things a lot easier then DS7 can share with DS14 and DS16 until everyone is sorted or wants to swap.

@SE13Mummy

DS16 and my niece are in Y11
DS18 is in Y13 and DS14 is in Y10
Niece (13) and nephew are both Y8

The kids will be here soon! I'm having DS7 share with DS14 and DS16 and then nieces and nephew in my room whilst I'm in DS7s room. I'm hoping it goes smoothly. Thank you all for the advice!

Good luck

Taking in nieces and nephews is massively difficult on everyone but it can also be a lot of fun and hugely rewarding. (We had my Sil, nieces and nephews here for three months, then when she returned to my brother my nephew stayed and has been part of our house for a few years now).

I hope it goes well for you all.

It seems to be going well so far tonight, the kids seem happy to share but we've had a chat and agreed that we'll look at the room arrangements again after everyone gets used to each others company. DS7 has happily gone to sleep on the top bunk in DS14 and DS16s room, DS16 and nieces have been playing on the wii together for hours now and I haven't heard a single argument and DS14 and my nephew were at the park for a while together, now my nephew has gone to sleep and DS14 and DS18 are watching something on the TV in DS18s room which is amazing to me because those two never get along. I'm fully prepared for the reality of having 5 teens in the house to kick in tomorrow but for now I'm enjoying the quiet whilst it lasts

@JustLyra Thank you so much

Enjoy the happy bits - it’ll be like a holiday for all the kids for a while.

It will kick in at some point, but you’ll get through it.

Just pick your battles is my main advice. It will be tense, but some things will be worth putting your foot down over and some won’t.

The quiet didn't last very long but I didn't think it would. Nieces and nephew are on half term this week and my sons are in school. Whilst they've been on their own today they've had a massive argument about something so tonight I'm having my nephew share with DS14 and DS16 whilst DS7 sleeps in his bed, where I've been sleeping and I'm either going to sleep on the sofa or in my room with nieces. I'm just hoping they've calmed down in the morning and that they don't kill each other tomorrow

I’d have the 7 year old in with me.