Pros to this are:
They go through phases of being too talkative, giggly, etc at night. It's like they will be so good for a while, then have a couple of weeks that aggravate me. Splitting them would obviously stop the talking.
They can fully express their differing tastes in decor.
I can split them easier on those bad days of non-stop arguing (doesn't happen often though).
The older one can get some more "me time".
The older one is a bit more orderly and gets a little annoyed with her sis's mess (not overly, just a bit). And little sis is a bit lazy at clean up, tending to let DD1 do most the work. Splitting them would give her more responsibility for her own room, and give DD1 a break.
Morning time will likely be easier for dressing and making beds if they aren't playing and distracting each other. This past school year was horrible in the mornings until I started sending my LO to the living room while DD1 dressed. Then I just kept DD2 in her pjs until after school drop off. This year they are both in school so they will both have to get dressed simultaneously.
Cons are:
They say they want to stay together! (But then again it's all they've remembered)
I love how close they are as friends!
They both share toys so much I would have a hard time figuring out what should go in each room. Same with trying to separate the books.
I like the option of being able to send DD1 to her room alone when she is being bossy, mean, or a drama queen. She is allowed to sit and think, rest, or read. Since there aren't any toys it's not really fun for her, but not punishment either since she likes books. Sometimes just that quiet time can work wonders on her behavior, but I wouldn't want her in there having a ball with toys either I don't think.
My dds are 7 and 9. They like their own space, esp when they have a friend over. They also play really well together. This summer they have slept in the same room, with one on an air mattress.
I think only you can truly make the decision, but I will say that at first i thought having a playroom was stupid, but my husband was insistent on the idea, so i went along with it, and now i will never go back. I would personally not be willing to give up a playroom to get a bedroom, unless my girls were closer to teens. Having a room that the strictly sleep in does wonders for my girls. For a year while my husband was deployed we went to stay with my MIL on and off so she could see the girls and it was a nightmare and a half trying to teach my girls that even though the toys were in the room they couldn't play with them. It took twice as long for them to fall asleep and they didn't sleep as soundly. I finally couldn't take it anymore and talked my MIL into turning the dining room into a playroom and I moved the girls into bedrooms strictly for sleeping. It made a world of difference. They knew bedrooms were for sleeping and not playing, they could fall asleep much faster, and slept better.
As for morning routines, I wake my ODD ( 5) up first and send her to the living room to get dressed while i help my 3 year old dress herself in the bedroom. It does seem to make a difference separating them.
Also, My girls like having someone sleep in the same room as them so when we tried separating them they ended up in each others bed and neither of them got very good sleep since two girls who are rough sleepers( they kick and toss in their sleep) were tring to fit into a twin bed.
That's my two cents on the whole thing.
My kids have their own rooms, but they do often end up playing in eachother's rooms. If I had the space, I would set up a play room for them, that way they could play together in one room, and I wouldn't have toys all over the place. Oh well.
I have 3 girls. Our house is small and so were there rooms. When they were younger, my oldest would always want to be by her twin sisters.....i even found her in the crib with one of them once. haha. We decided to take the wall down to make it one big room. Sure, my oldest sometimes says "I want my own room" but I know she really means she wants her own space. She isn't good by herself. So, we have the beds on opposite sides of the room to give them their space but we have a small couch and their toys and books in the middle of the room. It works great for us.
My oldest is more organized and clean than the twins so, if anything, she complains about their mess....which I totally understand.
Thanks for all the opinions and stories! Keep 'em coming.
By the way, I just realized they have been sharing for two years this month, not 1.5...time flies!
Keep them together now. This way if you do adopt, you'll have the extra room. You can always give them their own rooms when they become teenagers; that's when they'll most likely want their own space!
I've thought about that too. My oldest will likely be wanting to entertain friends soon (so far only her cousins ever come over). I remember as a kid when I went to friend's houses where they shared with a sibling, there was always a fight over whether they should have to leave the room, etc. Such a pain! Lol
Quoting mom22tumblebugs:
My dds are 7 and 9. They like their own space, esp when they have a friend over. They also play really well together. This summer they have slept in the same room, with one on an air mattress.
Protein in the lunch box?
- jbfcmom
on Aug. 7, 2012 at 11:21 AM