Kids different genders sharing room or not?

[Bronzeisthecolour]

Moving house. 2 dc aged 9 & 7. Eldest is a girl youngest is boy. Dh works from home ft.

New house has 2 rooms downstairs and 3 upstairs- 1 box room. Trying to sort rooms.

1. 3 bedrooms used as separate bedrooms Dh uses 1 downstairs room as office and other is living room but then no table.
2. dc share biggest bedroom- high-rise beds etc. Small box room is office. 2 rooms downstairs 1 living room & 1dining room.

Kids want to share but I'm wondering if this is best long term. I wouldn't even think about it if both same gender.

Any advice?

Have 3 bedrooms. They might not mind sharing now, but puberty is probably just round the corner for your daughter and she'll probably feel differently then.

Find a way to make the second room multi-purpose. There are loads of really great products/design ideas to make a home office easy to fold away and give the room a second purpose.

Two people of the opposite sex who are not in a relationship (married) where one is over the age of ten sharing a bedroom is overcrowding. You don't have long before it is a problem. It's not gender, it's sex. There are very good reasons why this became state policy, and although we hope they never apply to your children I wouldn't take it lightly.

Make the second room downstairs into the adult bedroom. Then both kids can have their own decent size bedroom upstairs and the box room can be your husbands office.

Separate bedrooms. Multipurpose second room with table and desk area.

Three bedrooms.

Can the other downstairs room function as an office and a dining room? Not ideal but not the end of the world either.

Absolutely fine if they are saying they want to share. They might prefer their own bedrooms in a few years, but you can work that out later

Is the biggest bedroom big enough to divide in two when the dc no longer want to share?

If there's a garden could you put in an outdoor office space?

Is there space for a desk etc. in the adult bedroom?

Separate bedrooms.

Your children are different sexes, not different genders.

If they want to share, let them share. And then in a couple of years when they change their mind let your oldest have the box room with a high sleeper so there is storage underneath. But by that time she won't be needing space for toys in the same way your son still will.

Isn’t there some legislation stating children over age of 10 of opposite sex should have separate bedrooms? Pretty sure that’s the case..

Definitely 3 bedrooms. Can you not come up with a hybrid office and dining room set up? Hideaway desk, expandable dining table etc.

Is the kitchen big enough for a table?

If they want to share for a year, I’d let them. Otherwise they should have a room each and DH works from a desk in your bedroom or in a room downstairs that is not solely his office.

That’s about what you’re entitled to if bidding on a council house. It’s not illegal or anything, just not ideal (for obvious reasons) if you have another layout option!

I'd say let them share for now, and then change around when they no longer want to. Don't get the high rise beds, get either bunk beds that separate or 2 single beds so that when they do go into separate rooms, you don't have to refurnish.
High rise beds are a total pain if you are the one cleaning/making the bed/doing bedtime stories, and they are awkward for teens too.

Of course there isn't. You're getting confused with guidelines for overcrowding in social housing where opposite sex children over 10 can't be expected to share so the family would qualify for an extra bedroom and if one wasn't available they'd be overcrowded.

They want to share let them share until they decide they don't want to

All 3 of mine (2 girls and a boy) chose to share for a long time, even though we’ve always had 3 bedrooms. It’s only in the past 3 months that my DS (6) decided he wanted his own room and moved into the smallest bedroom on his own.

Aside from it’s ex not gender.
nope, separate rooms. By nine she could start her period at any time, and she’ll be showing other signs of puberty soon as well. 7 year olds can be very curious and heartless, selfish, lacking empathy. Once younger brother finds out it’ll be a red target on her back for him to tease or worse, and for him to find hilarious to tell his school friends about.
nope. She needs privacy

My DC of different sexes shared at that age (by choice). They didn't want to a couple of years later though. So it depends whether you want a long term solution or just what to do now.

No, it is only classed as overcrowding in social housing. Private rental or ownership has no regulations at all

@titchy
www.nspcc.org.uk/keeping-children-safe/in-the-home/sharing-a-bedroom/#advice

checked and it’s true - it’s guidance, not law, but quite clearly not just about overcrowding in social housing.

OK so my children are different sexes not gender- sorry about that mistake.

Dh works in IT & has at least 3 screens and pcs and equipment so he couldn't fit into out bedroom. No room in kitchen for anything. Debating hybrid room downstairs- we have that now and I hate it! He's always on a meeting at meal times so can't use table etc. Leaning towards them sharing at least for now. Room is big enough to have a bed in each alcove and we could split down middle (if I can work out window/doors space) . Dd would like a high rise and a curtain type thing across it (a friend has one) for privacy.

Not bothered about any guidance etc as it's our home, but thanks.

More interested in mums opinions and especially ones who have/ had dc share.