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Parenting

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Original poster

Shared bedroom

31 replies

Beachtrip · 03/01/2022 14:58

Dd is 9, ds is 7 so this isn't pressing but it's on my mind.
2 bed flat, no scope to move.

They have the bigger of the bedrooms and share. But teen years are fast approaching.
I could do twin beds and put a curtain across the middle to give privacy. One kid would have the door and one the wardrobes.
Back wall is all windows so both would have window access. (Am thinking cabin beds would give space to storage underneath)

How do your mixed gender teens share a room?

Currently they have bunk beds against one wall and chest of draws on the other wall. Other kid stuff is generally everywhere.

All thoughts welcome. Really can't move. Single parent just for information purposes.

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rainbowandglitter · 03/01/2022 15:09

Will one have to walk through the others room to get to their part of the room? That might be awkward.
Sorry not got any suggestions of how it could work unless you give up your room and use a sofa bed in the living room. I assume you don't have a dining room that could be used as a bedroom?

Original poster

Beachtrip · 03/01/2022 16:12

I figure they won't have 100% privacy.
But I could put the curtain to give them space when they are both in their. But yes, one would have to cross the others to enter/exit abs the other would have to cross the others for access to wardrobes.

Living room/dining area all one space.

I've thought of converting living room into a bedroom but then I'd have teenagers and no living room. And I want a space we can all be that I haven't got to evict them from to go to bed!

OP posts:

Essexmate · 03/01/2022 16:18

My DH and SIL grew up in a council property. They couldn’t move nor could they do any work. They both shared a room until DH was 18 & SIL was 20. They didn’t really get much privacy, they chilled out in the room and did stuff together and one would leave when the other wanted to get dressed etc. They are actually very close now too

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AndSoFinally · 03/01/2022 16:23

If you are a single parent, could you share with DD? I realise not ideal but maybe better than a teen boy and girl sharing?

AndSoFinally · 03/01/2022 16:26

Or could you build something like this?

BurntToastAgain · 03/01/2022 16:28

You could use the bunk beds as a room divider. Thag would give them privacy and personal space separate from each other even without separate rooms

Thissucksmonkeynuts · 03/01/2022 16:28

They have a bedroom each and you have a sofa/day bed in the lounge? Sharing a bedroom with an opposite sex sibling though puberty is far from ideal .

BurntToastAgain · 03/01/2022 16:29

The middle photo there looks crap - but could look really good with a bit of paint etc.

BurntToastAgain · 03/01/2022 16:34

Depending on your room layout, it might be possible to put up a curtain to allow them to entirely close of their ‘room’ within a room.

A joiner with some MDF or similar could easily turn the bunk bed into a nice solid room divider.

Original poster

Beachtrip · 03/01/2022 20:59

Thanks for suggestions.
I'd love to do something like that in the picture but the room wouldn't accommodate it easily.

I'm not sure that sharing with me and DS having his own room would solve more issues then it would give rise to.

Thanks for thoughts.
I'm considering the living room as my room as a last resort.
It would be rubbish to have a flat with a kitchen bathroom and 3 sleeping areas. Having to convert it every night and having no communal area to be as a family because I would have no private space at all. And I need that.

OP posts:

sunshineandshowers40 · 03/01/2022 21:05

How do the children feel about it? I have a friend in this situation and she worried about it a lot. She lived in the flat before children and now has a son and daughter aged 12 and 15. It is fine. Another friend who was a single parent gave her sons a room each and she had the living room.

negomi90 · 03/01/2022 21:09

Bunk beds with curtains across (ceiling for the top bunk). If you put them against a wall you could put shelving next to it so they have a little bit of personal storage space.

girljulian · 03/01/2022 21:09

I grew up the youngest of four children in a two bedroom house — two girls and two boys. My oldest sister moved out when I was five but then I shared with two boys until I was 10, at which point my next brother moved out at 18. Me and my youngest brother (two years older than me) then shared until he was 18. It was really fine! I am 34 so this wasn’t the dim and distant past. I think if you’ve always grown up sharing you just don’t really think about there being a point of having to “leave the nursery” as it were. Our parents just had no money so that’s how it was, we were perfectly happy. Two parent family so there was no way my parents were going to vacate their room and I don’t really see why you should.

girljulian · 03/01/2022 21:10

To add, we had a sort of l-shaped room so when it was me and my teen brother, each had a bit of the L to ourselves, which helped. So I think a curtain would suffice.

2pinkginsplease · 03/01/2022 21:17

Dh and I had a sofa bed in the living room for 10 years to allow ours to have their own room, we now have a 20 and 18yr old and we have split the bigger bedroom into two tiny rooms and dh and I have a also now have a bedroom,

One room has a built in wardrobe and a bed and there is no room for anything else but it’s his own space.

We like our house and where we stay so have made sacrifices to enable us to stay here,

Once the children move out we will make the 2 small rooms into one big room again.

BurntToastAgain · 04/01/2022 12:32

@Beachtrip

Thanks for suggestions. I'd love to do something like that in the picture but the room wouldn't accommodate it easily.

I'm not sure that sharing with me and DS having his own room would solve more issues then it would give rise to.

Can you draw a diagram of the room? It might help people to help think of way to make it work better.

Londonr · 04/01/2022 12:36

Could you put a partition up and add a door

Santaisstilleatingmincepies · 04/01/2022 12:37

Lots of ideas on Pinterest op.

Classicblunder · 04/01/2022 12:43

I agree with you that you in the living room isn't sensible - you would have no communal living space.

I wouldn't borrow trouble - you may find that your kids continue to be happy to share as teens, it isn't the case that all teenagers hate sharing even opposite sex

Classicblunder · 04/01/2022 12:46

Although.. is there a way of partitioning the living room?

CrimbleCrumble1 · 04/01/2022 12:46

I also suggest the partition with a door idea.

Patapouf · 04/01/2022 12:51

Sorry OP but a curtain isn't good enough. Get a sofa bed for yourself in the living room because they need their own rooms as teens, even preteens really.

It's tough not having enough living space.

Londonr · 04/01/2022 12:52

Sorry bad picture. Red= the partition wall. Yellow =window. Green =2 separate doors

BurntToastAgain · 04/01/2022 13:06

@Patapouf

Sorry OP but a curtain isn't good enough. Get a sofa bed for yourself in the living room because they need their own rooms as teens, even preteens really.

It's tough not having enough living space.

Oh come on.

The OP should have no space of her own in her own house - and no proper bed - because a curtain isn’t enough privacy for her children?

It’s not ideal, but she lives in a 2 bedroom flat and that’s how it is. A curtain can give some privacy and that’s good enough.

sheepskinrugs · 04/01/2022 13:54

hi, we have pretty much what londonr has suggested. Both dd but would work for dd/ds. We split the room with a 5x5 kallax unit (one end securely fitted to the wall, my husband can hang off it). We used a thick curtain for each to have a “door” and left a small “hallway” so each doesn't have to go through the others “room”. Also used a white curtain fitted up to the third row so one side has bottom storage other side has top. You cant see in the others side from either side. Wireless headphones for tv/phone/laptop and separate lights. Not perfect but both very happy and has worked for some years. Maybe something like this? Really easy to change back to a normal room later and not expensive x

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