kaiser@belker.DEC (Pete Kaiser HLO2-1/N10 225-5441) (11/14/84)
There were six kids in my natal family, and never enough rooms. Until I was 10 I shared a room with my older-by-2-years sister; then we moved, and there were more rooms, and she got one of her own, and my next-youngest brother moved in to share a room with me. There was some struggling from time to time, but on the whole I enjoyed sharing a room with him. Mom and Dad let us arrange the room however we wanted, and every now and then we'd reconfigure the floor plan. I assumed that I'd be the next to get a room alone, probably when the next baby came. It seemed to happen at pretty regular 2-year inter- vals. But the next baby came (he turned out to be the last), and instead of me, my younger sister got a room to herself. It was unfair. I thought so then and I think so now. I shared a room with my next-younger brother until I left home, but it wasn't as much fun after that. He and I are the farthest apart in age (3-1/2 years, where all the other intervals are nearly 2 years), so I was still sharing a room with a 14-year-old when I was 18 -- and whenever I came home to visit. But much earlier the friction had far outstripped the fun. For instance, I went to bed much later than he did, and got up much earlier. And I liked to sleep in temperatures that nearly froze him solid, which I achieved by leaving the window open in winter. Even now I think it wouldn't have been as bad if my parents had been even- handed -- say, if everyone had had to share rooms. But two things stand out to me, and I hope I've learned from them: (1) my parents weren't fair, and I knew it; and (2) they were oblivious to my distress. Kids are persons with their own motives and feelings. This applies to sharing rooms as well as to other things. ---Pete
preston@fortune.UUCP (Carol Preston) (11/15/84)
Just thought I'd add my experience to this discussion. I am the oldest of
4. I am 1 year older than my next sister. She is 10 months older than
the next (poor mom). My brother is 3 years younger than she. We always
had 3 bedrooms. I shared my bedroom with my youngest sister. Why I didn't
share with the next sister, I don't know. My other sister shared a bedroom
with my brother. We moved and we girls then shared a room, and my brother had
a room to himself. Our room was much larger though. Even when we shared a
room, my youngest sister and I had bunk beds on top of each other and my
other sister was on the other side of the room. Anyway the reason I bring
this up is because I get along so much better with my youngest sister
than my other sister. Whenever I visit my family I am always doing things
with my youngest sister. As a matter of fact I don't get along at all with
my other sister. The next time I talk to my mom I am going to ask her why I
shared a room with my youngest sister. This is all starting to puzzle me.
--
Carol Preston
{sri-unix, amd, hpda, harpo, ihnp4, allegra}!fortune!preston
(415) 594-2891
Fortune Systems, 101 Twin Dolphin Pkwy, Redwood Shores, CA 94065