Aaron and I both had very different childhoods. I was basically an only child (I have half-brothers, but they are 12 years older than me). My mother didn't have a lot of money, but I had the basics. I was on the swim team, I had a bike, I went to camp. Most of our money went to sending me to private schools, as the schools in my town were sub-par. I didn't have 'cool' clothes or computer games. I had my own bedroom, but the walls were painted white - my mom didn't see the point in pink or purple walls or posters or anything. I had some framed artwork and a cork wall where I could put my posters.
Aaron was the middle child. He never had his own room. Growing up, he shared with his younger brother. When his older brother went to college, his younger brother got his own room and Aaron had to share with his older brother when he came home from college. And he says that his mother expected the rooms to be 'ready for show' all the time... meaning no posters, no visible toys...
First world problems, I know.
But. This has made us both sensitive to the issues of bedrooms. I always knew that I would at least let my kids paint the walls as they like and have a hand in personalizing them. Ask me in 5 years what I think about forcing them to keep the rooms clean, but for now I'm thinking that the rooms will be their personal space - to do with what they wish (within reason). Aaron also really wanted the kids to have fun rooms. And for this princess bed? I was probably more excited about it than Maggie, truth be told*.
When people see things like Cam's fire truck bed, or now Maggie's princess bed (with a SLIDE!) their first reaction is that we are NUTS. They the kids won't sleep - that they will stay up all night playing (which isn't the case - Cam never had an issue, and Maggie slept great last night). I have friends with showcase bedrooms with sleigh beds for their 3 year olds... which is nice, but in my opinion, they will want rooms like that when they are grown up. Kids?! They want to have fun. And I love it that Aaron and I are able to provide it.
*I should note that the woman who sold us the bed couldn't find the bottom tent piece. So I called the store, and they told be it was $50 for that piece. I figured that since I was already spending $50 to get the bottom, I might as well go whole hog and get the purple tent. So pictures sometime next week, when it's all together. And purple.
4 comments:
I would be SO excited to have a princess and firetruck bed in our future home (our current apartment is way too small and we just consolidated to having all of us sleep in one room). I just wanted to write that I think the beds are so cool and it has definitely got me thinking about what we might do when we have a house.
I love your kids' beds. I think they are totally and completely awesome. I've never thought you were nuts. But of course, I live in a house with a princess carriage bed.
There are so many fun options - and the loft beds actually save space - play room and bed in one! Maggie is now able to have her dollhouse in her room, where before we didn't have the room for it.
This post completely speaks to me. Living in the church parsonage, we were not allowed to paint or decorate or put holes in walls. In college the dorm had tons of rules about decorating. And the house I rented would let me but had tons of rules and fines so I never did. Now that I own, BigP still won't let me paint because of the funky layout of the house (the rooms kinda run together). BUT, I'm totally going to let the kids do what they want. I already spend way too much on bedding because K loved spongebob and I always handed down mis-matched bedding...
LOVE the bed, can't wait to see it all purple!!
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