Help on child bedroom arrangements?

[reynold]

Hello everyone, I just want some advice, I have a 5 year old son, 7 year old daughter and 11 year old step son pregnant with another little boy , weve hady step son since he was 5 so he's always classed as my son also. We've recently changed bedrooms two youngest daughter and son have always shared a room , my dd has just turned 7 the council have said both boys need to share as there coming to inspect how small the rooms are to change our needs to bid for a 4 bed instead of 3 which we currently have, I liked my 2 youngest sharing personally. My eldest is very quiet but his behavior has changed massively since highschool , a lot of school calls for behavior etc which is never like him he just doesn't listen and now he certainly doesn't listen to me either, since changing him to share with his brother he's messing up the routines I has with the youngest 2 , ds 5 would be asleep by 8pm school night once the fan sounds are on, eldest goes to sleep at 8.30 due to him being up early to travel to high school , and he will lay in bed and stair at the ceiling till about 11pm he won't try close his eyes or anything , this meaning he's doing silly things in the bunk bed that's waking the youngest up , no matter how much you tell him he continues. I really regret my youngest sharing with him but I don't know what else to do the rooms are tiny I was even considering bringing him in my room with his dad and me but I've got a baby coming in 4 weeks too:/ any suggestions ?

I don’t get it; the council can’t make you put your two boys in together. Can’t you jus move your two youngest back in together if that worked?

@Cbljgdpk

This!

Also I don’t know why you’re making an 11 year old go to bed at 8.30; even if he’s up early that’s very early and he’s obviously not tired at that time if he’s laying awake

@Cbljgdpk because his school was ringing me saying he was falling asleep in lessons and he was walking around looking like a zombie that's why he goes totally sleep then it used to be 10pm but he would be up till 12-1 staring at the ceiling

@Cbljgdpk apparently they can. They told me there coming to "measure" the rooms to see if 3 boys and 3 drawers or wardrobes will fit in the rooms if not they will assess me to be able to get a 4 bed so 2 younger boys with share and eldest boy and girl will be in there own. The room is shaped as a hexagon so it doesn't even fit 2 pairs of drawers in.

@Cbljgdpk he's also up at 6am for school so if he's not going to sleep till 12-1am he's not getting enough sleep hence why school was concerned

Ok but even if they say that 3 children can sleep in one room then they still can’t tell you which children can; you could put your two youngest and the baby when old enough into that room. They can tell you how many rooms you’re eligible for but not how to arrange it. If needed then move the furniture for the day they visit so they can see there isn’t room then move it back

@reynold in our council the step children do not share because they are from different families!

@Cbljgdpk unfortunately this is what they told me since there's 2 boys in the house they can share etc they said if they came out and seen both youngest sharing they would just instantly say both boys need to share its annoyed me too as my arrangement was just fine as it was

@Snugglemonkey It wasnt a planned pregnancy but that was also rude nobody asked for your opinion on me being pregnant or not.

@allthemiddlechildrenoftheworld really?! I've not heard of that in our council that makes sense though!

I understand what you are saying, the council do have rules on same sex sharing and room sizing when it comes to allocation, but you just dont do it and when they come, say the two are in that room etc

Its a box ticking exercise

Agree with pp, just move the furniture and a few belongings for the inspection then move it back. They won't have surveillance checking which rooms the dcs sleep in!

@reynold

Fit the furniture in. Put the kids as you like. Nobody needs to know really.

I’m not sure you’re seeing what I’m saying; they can say that the boys should share or that they need to share but they can’t make you. You can say no and they can’t do anything and that won’t effect whether you’re eligible for more bedrooms. They cannot legally tell you how to arrange your family’s sleeping arrangements

You could have all three of your kids in one bedroom and you and your partner have a bedroom each (obvs you wouldn’t be just for example) and the council cannot do anything about it

You are asking for people's opinions on a public forum. Mine is that you have too many children that you cannot adequately house. That is why you have a bedroom problem.

If the younger 2 are both under 10 then they are fine to share (this is generally the rule for council and housing associations when they’re looking at overcrowding).

@Cbljgdpk I see exactly what you're saying, and I'm saying they apparently can because they're telling me they're not assessing me for a bigger home until I do so. Changing furniture is all good and well but the bedrooms are painted to what they like e.g eldest has a gaming room with his name on the wall, youngest have half split colours purple / blue

How much exercise is the 11 year old getting to not be tired enough to sleep? What hobbies does he do during the week?

@Snugglemonkey I'm asking opinion on a bedroom for 2 boys, I'm not asking your opinion of if I should be pregnant or not. It was unplanned and I wasn't expecting to be told what to do and where my kids should sleep. There's people with 6 children in 2 bed houses my house is fine till my unborn child gets older maybe age 5-6 if the council hadn't asked me to do this. You saying I shouldn't have got pregnant isn't what I asked.

@TwoBlueFish apparently not as I'm being told otherwise . My two youngest was fine sharing no problem till they said since I'll have 3 boys they will need to share and ds would need to be in her own

@TheBottomsOfMyTrousersAreRolled he goes to boxing 2 days a week and football once , which I would of thought he would be shattered but he's actually always been like this since he came to us, he used to lay up for ages before falling asleep , where as my youngest son goes to sleep in seconds once I put the fan sounds on:/

he isnt drinking energy drinks? No suspicions of ND? No secret screens in his bedroom?