A Room For Two - #11

It has been ten months in the waiting, but Janika is now sleeping in a bedroom. When Janika was born Angie and I ran into a dilemma where we had a two-year old, Lenka, who when was put to bed would spend time playing while laying in bed in the dark. Then with Janika we had a little baby who would wake up at various times crying. Having these two girls share a room would be too stressful for us. Now that the girls are a little older we decided to go for it and I’m happy to report that they are now happily sharing a room. Lenka still says that her sister is sleeping in her room rather than sharing, but it’s cool. So now Angie and I have our basement back. Another bonus is that since Janika goes to bed first, Lenka is forced to be quiet when she gets into bed; no more playing or reading. That has made for a happier, and less sleepy, little girl. Now Angie and I can look forward to the day when we move into a bigger house where the girls will have their own room. Then again there has been talk about turning the basement into another bedroom for Lenka when she gets older. Only time will tell.

When looking for a tip for this week most of the stuff I could come up with was bonuses for kids sharing a bedroom with a sibling. The hard part of course is getting to the benefits. There will always be waking each other up in the middle of the night and the fighting depending on how old they are, but that does go away. So below I’ve listed the benefits I’m looking forward to now that I’m a parent of two girls that share a bedroom. We hope that if you are in the same situation we are, you can feel a little more comfortable.

- When they are young, your children will learn to fall asleep on their own much easier. Not only that, but once they are woken up at night, they will learn to fall back to sleep much more quickly.
- They will likely sleep, and wake, more peacefully knowing that they are not alone. They will often call to each other gently to make sure the other is there. Also, when they wake in the morning, they will usually talk to each other and play quietly until the parent comes to get them.
- Your children will likely develop a closer relationship as siblings. Many children who share a room spend time talking with each other about thoughts, feelings, and so on, especially once they are school aged. If the children are the same gender, they will share things with each other that they may not share with you. This will add stability to their lives and make your home a happy and healthy one.