Room sharing fighting: Do your kids fight when sharing a room together?
With living spaces in Singapore getting smaller, some parents may consider having their children share a room. While the idea sounds good in theory, the fact is that issues concerning personal space and privacy could cause major meltdowns between your kids.
Here are some great ways to help your children share a room comfortably.
Redecorate
If you’re short on space and two of your children need to share a bedroom, make sure that you redecorate before the second child moves in. Both children should have a say in what their personal space looks like so that neither one feels like the room isn’t theirs.
Sit down and talk to them about what kind of colours they prefer, and what kind of furniture they will need for their personal use.
Just because two children are sharing a room, it doesn’t mean they have to share everything, so try to be as creative as possible when incorporating their preferences into the décor of the room.
Designate personal areas to prevent fighting
Ideally, the room should be divided into individual personal areas and one shared area. Lay down the rules before your children move in.
Each child should not be allowed to touch or use another’s belongings without permission if it’s kept in the personal area. All items that children feel comfortable sharing should be placed in the shared area.
Privacy
As your child matures, his or her need for privacy will become more essential. If space allows, try using a room divider, or putting up a curtain that children can easily draw if they want some alone time.
Also, each child should be given an allocated time slot per day where they can be completely alone in their room. Work with their schedules to find something that is convenient for both children.
To ensure fairness, each child should be given the same amount of alone time. While his or her sibling is having alone time, your other child can watch television or do his homework in the living room.
If one of your children disturbs the other during the allocated time, tell him that he will lose his own alone time if he continues to be disrespectful to his sibling.
Cleaning duties
Draw up a roster to allocate cleaning duties for each child. Each child should keep their own personal areas clean, and duties like clearing shared dustbins or sweeping the floor should be alternated between each child to prevent potential fights or arguments about unequal workloads.
Share with us your tips to avoid room sharing fighting among your kids!