AIBU not to give my children a double bed each?

[TheCherries]

I am in the process of decorating new bedrooms for my two young teenagers.

Both are insistent their friends all now have double beds and it isn’t fair I am making them keep their single beds.

Changing their beds isn’t an option we don’t have the budget for it anyway but it got me thinking is it really a rite of passage to have a double bed as a teenager?

Surely you wait until you are an age to share the bed with another. My feeling is the larger the bed the more you get used to spreading out.

I would prefer to keep the single bed with guest bed underneath for sleepovers and enjoy the extra space in their rooms the rest of the time.

We have two spare bedrooms so we don’t need to double up the use of their beds for relatives staying over.

Do yours have a double bed?

My 8yo has double bed. If there is the space and you have the money they are nicer than singles. However OP you don’t have the money so it’s tough luck for your teens and they have to stay within your budget.

The majority of third bedrooms are too small for a double.

Absolutely. Our house in London is considered large but the box room is still only 10x9.

For all mine to have a double, I’d have to buy a loft conversion and that does stack the price up sadly.

Beds aren’t a treat in our house, just somewhere to sleep.We didn’t see the point of singles so got doubles.

The sheet is double but the duvet for the younger kids are singles so no extra laundry. A double duvet in a single bed would be the same volume.

Unless a bedroom doubles as a playroom then space shouldn’t be a problem.

@SchadenfreudePersonified You can get second hand ones on FB marketplace for about £20. I have also seen lots with brand new plastic wrapped mattresses on there for a total of £30 too.

Clothes still have to go in a bedroom though, it’s not as though a bedroom is literally just a door and a bed.

All have double beds. Have since they were around 6 years old. More spacious. I have super king. Best bed I’ve ever had. Don’t know how I managed in a double

My 8 yr old has a double, he needed a new bed as at the time I was on my own and could only afford a cheap single and mattress.

We re did his room as a surprise last year and decided to just go for a double as his room is large. We got an ottoman bed so all his toys go underneath which means he still has loads of space plus a small sofa bed plus at Christmas when everyone comes to stay having 4 double beds is much easier to fit everyone in.

DD 10 has a double bed. It's the only way to keep her in her own bed and not trying to get in with me

Yup my teen has a double. If I wasn't with my dh I would want a double even if I was single. I despise sleeping in single beds as I like to stretch out. Don't understand why that's an issue anyway.

No, I didn't

We lived in a small flat with no sound proofing between the bedrooms which are right next to each other, neither of us wanted to be neighbours to each others partners.

Uni rooms are always single beds, unless you go super swish and private.

I had a single for years. You get used to whatever bed you have.

I thought they had small doubles these days? All the ones at DD and DS's halls were small doubles.

Depends which uni I imagine.

The Uni DS2 is (hopefully) going to has all single beds but he'll just have to manage - he's 6'3 - someone has said that there is room to fit a footstool or something at the bottom to extend out the space - he says it should be fine not having the double as he wont have to share with the cat :o

My children have had doubles since they were about 9.

At the end of the day, a double is only 18 inches bigger than a single so it's hardly disaster territory as far as laundry etc is concerned, a duvet cover, sheet and pillowslips still goes in a 20 minute half load in my house. I don't wash the mattress/pillow covers and duvet every wash.

Where do all these people live that ‘might as well’ just have a double? My kids are just going to have to do without. No way you could even fit a double in their rooms, at least not if you want any other furniture in there too...we currently have mid sleepers in order to fit in drawers...I imagine desks might be more important when they’re teenagers.

Not a rite of passage around here: as others have said, bedrooms are too small; also few people have enough money to replace something that is perfectly functional.

My teenage sons have a single bed, small wardrobe and a desk in their rooms. There isn’t space for a double.

I had a single bed until I bought my own house At the age of 22. I shared single beds with boyfriends and at university halls and shared houses all had single beds.

I don’t have the space for doubles. I live in a big housing estate. All 3 bed detached houses. None will have teenagers with double beds as there isn’t space. So no OP not every teenager has a double bed.

Both DSs have built in wardrobes so double bed - long side against a wall - desk and a couple of really slim bookcases. Teenagers not bothered about floorspace that younger DC are. They are either sat at their desk or lying in their bed.

Bedrooms 19ft by 15ft or thereabouts

My 2 year old has a double bed. We co-slept when she was born so a cot or single bed has always seemed too small to her! I imagine I'll never get her into anything smaller now. Maybe you could compromise and say when they're due a new bed they can have a double if they still want one?

I think mine are only about 10 x 9 or something - new build bedrooms.

Didn't have a double bed until well past university. I used to share a single bed with my 6ft 2 boyfriend!

I'm laughing at the idea that keeping a single bed will prevent having sex - I think that's underestimating the ingenuity of teenagers!