Party central, Veep.

Veep.

Our daughter just referred to me as "the Vice President of our family." I'm collecting my thoughts on this. It's not so much that it was said as an insult or as a compliment; it's that it was simply stated as...reality. Oh well. At least I'm married to the Commander-in-Chief.

The sanctity of other friends’ parents’ bedrooms

When I was a kid, I was at a friend's house and, being the curious and snoopy person I (still) am, asked what a particular room was with the door just cracked open.

"Oh, we can't go in there," he said. "That's my parent's bedroom. We don't ever go in there."

Which I was thinking about this morning as I was snuggling with my wife for a few extra minutes and was brought to reality by the repetition of a homemade Thor's hammer

(1x3 wood, shoe box, colored duck tape)

being brought down mercilessly over and over by a vicious grinning child. On my body. Again and again.The worst shrilling of an actual alarm clock seems almost peaceful in comparison.

But it did make me curious about the family policies of parents-in-general and the allowing or disallowing of children within this space. I think I accidentally heard, long ago, that one radio woman who knows everything about relationships and men and women and children refer to parents' bedrooms as a 'sacred place,' or something of the sort, and loud as I laughed then, it pales to the humor I feel now in

imagining our bedroom to be more sanctuary and less...circus.

So seriously, I'm curious about different parental policies concerning kids in the bedroom, at any point. Just curious.

And a happy Labor Day, especially to those who are spending it in labor or Labor.

Responses

Dallas W.
I was allowed in and that was the 50s

Joe K.
We pretty much have an open door policy. For example, yesterday morning was a 630 am wake up call as T——- comes into our room to ask if he can open his new lego set and put it together. This morning was a obnoxiously loud kitten wanting some attention, as well as finding T——- connected to me like a backpack. Finally, when I was able to fall back asleep, the alarm clock in R——’s old room starts going off (shares a wall with our room). Somehow, I was the only one that seemed to hear it because as I got out of bed to turn it off, everyone else seemed to be breathing deeply in a peaceful coma. We definitely do not have an off limit policy, which in all honestly, as frustrating as it can be when the boys decide to go WWE on us in the early morning, there's nothing better than waking up (not to be confused with "being woken up) to two snoring boys snuggling in our bed.

Me.
Well said, Joe - and I like your distinction between "waking up" and "being woken up." 🙂

Janetta B.
I remember ending up in my parents room in the middle of the night looking for a peanut butter sandwich. I think that is about the only reason my children haven't shown up in my room during the night. I want to make sure my kids feel that they can come to me no matter what.

Jodi H.
I think you continue what you knew. My parents room was always free game for us and still is for their grandkids. Jaycee and her cousins have no problem wandering through my parent's bedroom at all hours and even snooping around. (Makes hiding Christmas presents harder.) And of course, the tradition is the same in my house.

Holli B.
Sometimes when we have guests over I tell the kids not to go in our room because that is where we throw all the stuff we didn't get the chance to clean up. Unfolded laundry, extra toys, etc. I don't encourage my kids to invite their friends into my room even when it is clean, they just have no need to ever be in there, unless I am too. Other then playdates my kids have unlimited access, but are getting closer to the age where we wake them up and not vice versa ;( Hold on to that hammer, you might be able to get revenge in a few years. 🙂

John J.
We have an open door policy. Kids are in and out of our bedroom all the time. The 2 year old daughter still can't manage to make it through an entire night in her own room and often wedges herself between me and my wife. And, I LOVE IT! I wouldn't have it any other way!

Me.

Holli - haha! I admire your honesty...we might have pulled that 'bedroom stuffing, close the door tight and don't open it' trick once or twice or a thousand times as well.

Good point with the "inviting others in there" prohibition. And thanks for the encouragement: someday, it will be my turn to pull out Thor's hammer on their slumbering selves...someday. 🙂

John - nice. Operative phrase: "I LOVE IT! I wouldn't have it any other way." Agree. Brings a smile to my face thinking about it 🙂

Sue Long - my mom :)

For many, the bedroom is where it all began, and where it will someday end. Sacred space for sure if you count what everyone has mentioned as sacred. I do! Some of my best memories are of waking up with little ones snuggled with us. We laugh about how you, Joseph, would come in on Sunday mornings and tap Daddy's head, "Are you awake yet? What are we doing today?" Now it's your kids pouncing on us when you come---love it! As a small child, I remember going into my parent's bedroom and sliding down my Daddy's propped up legs. "Sunshine Mountain." One of my earliest and best memories. xoxo

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