topic Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed in Community Chat

How many here shared a room or even a bed

Mominohio — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:27:24 GMT

with siblings when growing up?

I was watching Little House on the Prairie, and was noticing Laura and Mary sharing a bed in their loft. Got me to thinking about sharing a bedroom or even a bed with a sibling when growing up.

My mother (who was born in the mid 1930's) spent part of her growing up years in a house that 17 people lived in at one time. She was among the youngest in the house, but they often slept three or four to a big bed back in the day for the little kids.

The only time I shared a room with a sibling was one summer when I was young, as my bedfast great grandmother came to live with us for a couple of months (members of the family were taking turns taking care of her in their homes). We only had three bedrooms, one for my parents, one for my brother, and one for me. So we kids moved into one room for the summer, while my great grandma got my brother's room while she was there.

She was basically bed fast and both of my parents worked full time, so my grandparents came in during the day to look after her and us.

Seems like life today is much different, but how many of you shared bedrooms or beds back in the day, with your siblings while growing up?

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

deepwaterdotter — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:29:26 GMT

I shared a bed with my younger brother until I was 5 years old when we moved to a larger house.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

Catty2 — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:30:45 GMT

We lived in a 2 bedroom house, so my brother and I shared a room with twin beds until I was 14 and he was 9. It was pretty exciting to finally have our own bedrooms when we moved to a bigger house.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

lulu2 — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:34:54 GMT

My sister and I were 14 months apart. We always shared a room with bunk beds which eventually became twin beds. My younger sister was 14 years younger than me and always had her own room with a large canopy bed.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

blackhole99 — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:35:06 GMT

I shared a room and bunk beds with my younger sister, but when our youngest sister graduated from the crib she moved into the bottom bunk and I got my own room. When my brother came along my parents made the attic into a bedroom for the younger girls and the bunk beds were separated and used up there. My brother always had his own room.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

151949 — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:35:20 GMT

Growing up I slept in a queen size bed alone but whenever any girl cousins visited I had to share with them. Boy cousins got the second twin bed in my brother's room, which was in the attic - cold in the winter & hot in the summer. While my grandmother lived briefly with us she got my bed and I had to sleep on a roll away cot in the dining room but I was only about 4 yr old so I didn't care.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

skuggles — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:37:00 GMT

I shared a room with my two sisters, in separate beds crammed in a room.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

Perkup — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:40:18 GMT

Lonely, only child here. But I had the awkward experience of sharing a bed with my Grandmother until I was about 12 years old. Hard to sleep, but did the best I could. She would tell me when I was very small that if I moved my legs around in the bed rats would come up and bite my feet. Also that if I didn't go to sleep she would call the man who hid in the armoir and have him come out and "get me". I can't really forgive her for those nights when I made the mistake of moving my legs around. I had to be perfectly still and pretend to be asleep. It was awful.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

mac116 — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:43:27 GMT

I shared a room with my sister in the converted attic dormer room. My brother had his own room. We are 7 years apart, but I have fond memories of talking late, and having her help me with my homework.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

Lapdog — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:44:16 GMT

I shared bunk beds with my sister until we moved. (22 months apart) Then my parents in building the house, had sliding doors installed between our rooms. I don't think we ever closed them. My little brother (who had his own room) would often bed down between our beds on the floor.

When we moved again I was 16 and we then had separate rooms.

I then went off to school and shared a room with 5 other girls.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

151949 — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:44:44 GMT

@Catty2 wrote:
We lived in a 2 bedroom house, so my brother and I shared a room with twin beds until I was 14 and he was 9. It was pretty exciting to finally have our own bedrooms when we moved to a bigger house.

My Mom and her brother who was only a year younger than her grew up sharing a room along with their widowed Uncle. There was a drapery across the room dividing it - males on the larger side and my Mom on the smaller side. To get to her section my Mom had to walk thru their section.I imagine during the depression this sort of thing was more common as a lot of family crammed into one house to save money.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

Burnsite — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:51:27 GMT

I shared a bedroom with my little sister (7 years younger). I think it's why we are so close to this day. Lots of shared memories.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

jubilant — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:54:53 GMT

I shared a room with my sister till we left home. There was 17 months difference between us and I was the oldest. We were always given the biggest bedroom and slept in twin beds. We each had our own dresser and we shared a small closet.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

jubilant — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:59:20 GMT

@Perkup

That is awful.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

blackhole99 — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 22:59:41 GMT

@Perkup you poor thing, what a memory for a small child to have of her grandmother. When I stayed over night at my grams house I slept with her in her bed and she would tell me stories about the mermaids and sailors. I loved those stories and I can still smell her sometimes, she had a fresh, but exotic smell.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

proudlyfromNJ — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 23:03:26 GMT

Shared a big dormer room with my sister until I went to college and then got married. There were 4 kids so everyone had to share.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

GenXmuse — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 23:02:42 GMT

Depending on where we were stationed my sister and I shared a room and sometimes a bed.

It was also common to only have one bathroom.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

alicedee — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 23:07:53 GMT

@Perkup I am so sorry that happened to you. Terrible things to say to a child.....cruelty to children just makes me so angry.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

151949 — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 23:11:12 GMT

We were just talking about this last night - it was very common in homes in Pittsburgh for people to put just a toilet in the basement as a second BR - them either build a wall or more commonly - put a shower curtain around it for privacy.You would go wash your hands in the laundry sink. In a house with only one bathroom it certainly was great when you really had to go. As a matter of fact - my DH & I had the rough ins put in for a BR in our basement at our Pittsburgh home - then immediately installed a toilet down there with corregated steel "walls" around it.Had that for a while - then had a real BR finished down there.

Re: How many here shared a room or even a bed

ChynnaBlue — Thu, 13 Apr 2017 23:11:54 GMT

My sister and I each had our own rooms, but at some point I wanted bunk beds, so my parents set them up and my sister and I shared a room for a few years. When we moved when I was in second or third grade, we moved into separate rooms.

The only time we shared a bed was when we were too young to have our own hotel room and so we would share one bed and my parents would share the other. Later we would get adjoining rooms instead.