Bedroom Talk

What priviledge does a single-mom have with the bedroom size with a boy and girl?

I am a single mom of a boy age 8 and a girl age 10. We have lived in my mothers's basement sharing the same space for 6 years, now we have a 2 bedroom apartment and I being the parent took the larger room and gave the children the smaller room. I have not received to much applause for doing that from the grandparents but everyone else, such as friends and my sister thinks it's the priviledge of being the parent and the children should graduate to a larger room after cleaning and learning to keep their smaller room in order. I just want to know what others think about this set up I have with my kids.

Public Comments

1. I say keep it as is until they get a bit older and then you should give one the other bedroom and you take the livingroom.
2. If it were me, I would take the smaller room since they are sharing one.
3. You being the parent, I would say you most definitely deserve the larger room. But then on the flip side, if your things could fit in the smaller room (maybe use the living room as well)... You could divide the larger room better for them. Children do have to learn to appreciate things as well. So, if they show you they can handle having their own "space"... Maybe you can work something out with them a little later. You can also be creative and create a room divider with his and hers and make they love the space they have.
4. It's a personal choice because most states or apartment complexes won't press charges. For me, the kids used their bedroom more than I did; they had the larger room. I still had my own room and found that I also had more of the rest of the house, too! It also let me divide the space so that each had their own section for play or personal things like books, toys, their own dressers, etc...
5. the person above is correct it is against the law for a boy and girl over the age of 2 to share a room. apart from that they should be in the bigger room since they would have more stuff.
6. Nope. Not good. Kids that age need separate bedrooms when they are the opposite sex. Don't you remember being a preteen girl? I hated sharing with my sister - I'd have been mortified to share with my brother! I mean, things start "developing" and you don't want your brother around when that happens! See if you can divide the large bedroom into 2 small bedrooms and if you can't, you get the pullout in the living room and they each get their own room. "Fair" to? Not to you, but that's the "privilege" of being the parent. eta - actually, there are laws on the books about children of opposite sexes sleeping in the same room. Most of them have to do with kids in foster care, but DYFS (family services) does have restrictions on this in non foster situations too. If the OP has an ex with visitation rights or gets government support there may be an issue in a family visit of the kids sharing a room.
7. if it was me, my daughter and i would take the larger room and my son would have the smaller room. 8 and 10, they are going to need privacy REAL soon!
8. When my husband and I lived in a 2 bedroom house, we gave our three girls the bigger bedroom, and took the smaller one. I would give them the bigger bedroom and when they get to be teenagers I would take the living room and give each of the children their own bedrooms. As far as being against the law to have opposite sex children share a room, that is not true.
9. You should sleep on the couch and give them their own rooms. It's not right for a boy and girl to share a room. You are selfish and it's no wonder you're single. Grow up.
10. If that works for you, fine. Personally I would have given them the bigger room, unless you have gigantic bedroom furniture. Simply 2 people need more room than one, and you could turn the smaller one into an oasis of peace and tranquility! Congratulations on getting out of your mom's basement and into your own home. That's just got to feel good!!!
11. For the morons saying that oppisit sex kids should never share a room, what do you think your fore fathers, and settlers of this land did... They lived in 2 room shacks, and had 4, 5, 10 kids.. Well your here, did it affect you? And personnally, Id give the kids the Big room untill the Girl hits pubety, then who knows, you may be able to get a bigger 3 bdrm place, or you could take the couch. Not a legal thing, but a girl in puberty is going to need her own space to take care of adolecent issues, from her changing body to her friends over.
12. I don't think it's selfish of you to take the larger room. You're the parent, you deserve it. However, maybe it does make more sense for the kids to have the larger room in this situation to be able to store their things, since it sounds like you don't have too much extra room. I have an idea! Why not give the kids the bigger room, then you can set up a partition or curtain inside that room so your boy and girl can each sort of have their own room and the privacy they will soon (if not already) desire? You could simply hang sheets, or get fancy and buy a used partition from someone who sells office furniture? Good luck.
13. When it was two parents and two kids, the adults took the small bedroom. The reasoning is that there is a lot of "kid stuff" and if they had the bigger room, it could be stored there instead of the rest of the house. Now I have a teen and a tween, and am a single mom. The teen needs a private bedroom, and has it. When the tween was younger, I slept in a screened off area of this (larger) room. These days, that screened off area is now storage (leaving both the same amount of bedroom space), and I sleep in the living room.
14. Thats a hard question. Right now the smaller room is probably ok but as they get older you should probably switch rooms, that way they will have a little more personal space, maybe even seperate their spaces by putting up a curtain or beads or something, to give them a little more space. PP: It is not illegal to have a boy and girl share a room, some people myself included cannot afford a bigger home so my boy (3) and girl (6) share a room and will have to continue to do so until we can afford someplace bigger. There is no way the law can tell you how big of a house you have to have.
15. The kids should take the smaller rooms until they are old enough to pay the rent. When you are living with them then they can take whatever room they want. I would have my son sleep in the Living room when my daughter got about 12. As far as having a lot of stuff then just teach them not to get attached to things. They are old enough to understand that they are not rich. Mine understand and they are both 7.
16. I think it's illegal in the USA to have a boy and a girl past a certain age(5 I think) to share a room together. You need to either let the girl sleep with you or give the girl your room and sleep on the couch.
17. OK soon they wont legally be able to share a room once the eldest reaches 11, at least that is how it is in the UK so you might want to check it out. I understand that you need a room and it wouldn't be an issue if the were the same sex but I am afraid I am with others that say they need to have the bedrooms.
18. hmmm... very good question... alright... since it was just you and the two children... yes.. I think you should have given them the bigger bedroom.. the kids need the space.... Ok.. now im not trying to take sides with your relatives.. I see what your saying.. Believe ME... but your girl is about to turn 11 right?... and the boy is 8?... you should have been looking for a 3 bedroom.. 3 bedrooms are expensive.. so right now you must do what you must.. you and the girl should share a room.. she is much too old to be sharing with her 8 year old bro... GOOD LUCK!
19. Kids need space and as they get older, girls & boys need their own rooms for obvious reasons - it won't be long before you'll have to find a bigger apartment.