6 minutes
Children who sleep alone are more independent, but those who share a room develop greater tolerance. What is the best option for your family? We help you discover it.
In households with more than one child, it is common to question whether it is positive for siblings to share a room. When there is enough room for this to be a possibility, parents often hesitate between prioritizing the independence of each child or brotherly complicity that can arise as a result of coexistence.
If you are faced with this dilemma, here are some advantages and disadvantages to help you decide. After all, sharing a room can be a source of tension and discrepancies between siblings.
But it is also a great way to help them naturally develop certain values that will be very useful in the future. A) Yes, The final decision will depend on the needs of each family and also on the personalities of the children.
Advantages of siblings sharing a room
If you yourself have shared a room with your siblings during your childhood, you will be able to realize the many benefits that this entails. If not, we will show you some of the most significant.
Strengthens the bond between siblings
Children have great opportunities to share laughter, games and confidences every day for the fact of sharing a room. These moments increase the complicity and emotional closeness between them and make their bond become stronger and closer.
Having a joint space allows them to discover each other, get to know each other in depth and grow at the same time experiencing small daily moments that will become indelible memories.
Teaches to live together
Share room encourages empathy, tolerance, negotiation skills and conflict resolution. Children learn to take into account the opinions and needs of others, to give in and to set limits.
Respecting the rhythms and spaces of the other, collaborating for the common good or asserting their opinions are some of the teachings that they will be able to begin to practice and that will be of great use to them throughout their lives.
Promotes sleep and associated routines
Sleeping with siblings makes it easier and more enjoyable for children to fall asleep. When feeling accompanied, fears are diluted and the funny or transcendent conversations are multiplied before going to sleep.
A) Yes, get a more relaxed and restful sleep and they can see the moment of going to sleep as something more pleasant and face it with less resistance.
Encourage solidarity
Sleeping in the same room helps to create a team feeling in children, so jealousy can be significantly reduced. The brother begins to be seen as a partner and ally, and not as a rival.
In addition, sharing toys, clothes or school supplies becomes part of the day to day, so cooperation prevails over individualism. Sounds good, doesn’t it?
Disadvantages of siblings sharing a room
As you can see, the benefits of siblings sharing a room are numerous. However, also there are some downsides to consider before making the decision. Mainly, you have to take into account the following:
Less independence
In the case of sharing a bedroom, the children they do not have a personal space in which to develop their individuality or enjoy privacy.
During childhood, this can cause siblings to become somewhat dependent on each other and have difficulty sleeping alone when this is the case. On the other hand, especially as adolescence approaches, they may claim a privacy in which to be alone or share with your friends, which will be difficult if you share a room.
Interference at half time
When sharing a room, nocturnal awakenings of one sibling may affect the rest of the other; especially if one of them is very young, sick, or has difficulty sleeping. Similarly, if one needs to leave a small night light on and the other is bothered by it, discrepancies may arise.
Incompatibility of rhythms of life
In a special way, when the age difference between the siblings is noticeable, problems may arise; for example, when it comes to reconciling schedules: one brother has to study, while the other is already sleeping.
Problems related to worldly, social or cultural activities that each child wishes to carry out. For example, if one wants to read and the other to listen to music or spend time with friends.
Source of conflicts and discussions
Finally, living in harmony requires a great deal of patience, tolerance and negotiation skills. If these skills are not well developed in minors, problems can appear.
Keys to prevent inconvenience of siblings sharing a room
If there is no other possibility, or if you have decided that the best solution is for the siblings to share a room, there are a series of recommendations that should be followed. This it will avoid possible setbacks and will help the coexistence to be more harmonious:
- Prevent your children from sharing a room until the youngest of them is at least one year old old.
- Involves the eldest son in moving his brother to the room. Pass on the value of the fun times you can share and let her make some decisions like where she wants to put her bed.
- Have an open dialogue with your children about the situation. The emergence of discrepancies should not be a reason to separate each of them into a room as it is important that they learn to negotiate; however, as they get older, they may want more privacy. Agree together when it is time to stop sharing a room.
- Make sure that each child has their own space in the room. Not just a bed, but a study place and at least one area of your own in the closet. This will allow for further individual development.
- In the beginning, help them with conflict resolution, motivating them to put themselves in the place of the other and reach agreements. As they get older, let them practice these skills themselves.
Siblings sharing a room will lead to unforgettable moments
Definitely, each family has to weigh the pros and cons, and choose the option that best suits their needs. However, the experience of sharing a room with siblings during childhood can be extremely enriching for children.
This prepares them for life, since there will be many occasions in which they will have to apply what they have now learned. In addition, it will allow them to create fun and fond memories that will stay with them for life.
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