Is there any problem with same-sex siblings sharing a bedroom when there is an 8 year age gap?
I am a 20 year old female living at home with my mother, her boyfriend and my younger sister who is 12 years old. We live in a 3 bed council house. My mother has now discovered that she is pregnant with a baby boy and is now saying that me and my younger sister are going to have to share a bedroom. My sister and I do not get along at all. Also, I see it as wrong: in my eyes I am an adult and she is a child and we shouldn't be sharing a room.
Will being forced to share a room make our relationship worse? Are there any strategies to help my sister and I share space without being at each others' throats the whole time?
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While there may be laws on this in some countries I am certainly not aware of any (I am in the UK)
While it may not be ideal for you, unless you have a bigger house it may be unavoidable, so you might want to look at ways to keep your privacy/sanity. Some cultures manage perfectly well with multiple generations sleeping in the same room (or in some deprived areas - extended families living in the same room) so it can obviously be managed.
If you look at some of the cultural traditions that have grown in Japan you can get an idea of how to get some privacy/control when living in very close proximity. Try sites like factsanddetails.com/japan.php?itemid=647&catid=19&subcatid=122 and www.everyculture.com/wc/Japan-to-Mali/Japanese.html for examples.
You ask for options - well, I guess moving out is always an option if you feel so strongly.
Certainly your age changes the dynamic: when we had two younger kids sharing a room, ages 10 and 2, it was OK. But you are older now, and your bedtime habits are quite different from those of a 12-y.o. If you can't adjust, I don't see how you can avoid moving out. I'm sorry you're in such a difficult circumstance.
Can you do it for a little while, say a few months, and then -- if your younger sister takes well to the baby -- could they move into the same room?
Are you paying rent to your mother? If you are paying rent, you should ask for a reduced rent since you are no longer getting your own room. Is there a basement? Another room on the main floor - something like an office or a den? Consider moving to one of these rooms.
If you are not paying rent, you are unfortunately going to have to abide by her rules. It's her house, and she can decide how she wants to use it. If you don't like the rules, you have the option of moving out. However, moving out, is not always feasible.
A 20-year old and a 12-year old sibling would rarely get along - given that you have so little in common at that point in your lives. However, you have to make an effort to do with what you have. Consider getting room-dividers that also function as bookshelves to increase privacy. Treat her like an adult, and agree on some ground rules. Instead of being bossy, try to work things out. "I like my privacy, and I am sure you do too, so how about we agree on a couple of things?" This could include not sharing clothes, defining closet space, working out a time of the day where each of you are given privacy in the room, etc. The key is to treat her as your equal instead of appearing to be entitled, simply because you are older.
I hope you understand that your new sibling (the baby) has to sleep somewhere. You have the option of sharing the room with the sibling, of course, but I would highly recommend against it. They sleep 16 hours a day, sure, but they wake up 10 times during the night too.
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