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Barb.b
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| Posted: Jan 23 2012 at 9:09pm | IP Logged
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Not sure if this was the right place to post this. But, those of you with kids away at college. . . what have you done with their bedrooms at home. For me - mine is a freshman and away, comes home for holidays, but probably not summer (except maybe between right after school yr and summer job at school). So, I am thinking of having his bed be more of a day bed, putting a smaller dresser I have in the youngest's room (so switching dressers so smaller one is in college age kids room). Now I am thinking one of 2 things - keep the desk in there for one of the 2 kids still at home to use and also an extra recliner chair and it be a study like room. OR put 2 old recliners I have in there and a little tv and is an extra family/game/reading room. Well, I have time to do this. Hopefully my house will sell soon (just REALLY lowered the price) and will be moving in a smaller place (I CAN"T WAIT!) and then after I move I will make these changes.
THis way there will be a bed for my son and room to put clothes, but the room will have other uses when he is gone at school.
well, I would love to hear what you all do.
Barb
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SallyT
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| Posted: Jan 23 2012 at 9:52pm | IP Logged
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I haven't really changed anything in my daughter's room -- to me it seems a little soon, and we don't really need the space on a daily basis. Her bed is available as a guest bed when she's not here, and occasionally my husband will take his work up there, when he really needs quiet. We do use her closets for storage -- she lucked out and has two enormous closets, so I'm taking advantage of her things not being in them.
I guess this would vary from kid to kid, and how much you considered it would depend on what your other space demands are (like another child or children really needing that room), but my daughter very much wants *her* room to come home to at this point, and I can understand that. After the stress of the semester and exams, it was comforting to come home and find her space still waiting for her, basically unchanged. I know that for many families this is a luxury they can't indulge, but as long as we don't have a pressing need, I'm just leaving things as they are.
In a few more years she won't need that comfort zone so much, and she will need her furniture and things to fill her own place eventually. THAT's when her room will become my study. Ha ha! Though it will still have to have a bed for visits . . .
Sally
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amy soper
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| Posted: Jan 24 2012 at 5:42am | IP Logged
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Our son is in his Jr. year at college and our daughter left last week to join him. She is 19.5.
We also have a 7 yo and 18 mo surprise, surprise and we needed the extra space. We finished off half our basement for our son which I use for my studio when he isn't here. Hubby put in 2 large closets. When he isn't here I pack away all his things in there. When he is home, I pack up my studio into my closet which has a large desk and lots of shelves.
As for our oldest daughter's room, what she didn't take with her is neatly packed away in her closet. There is only a bed and desk in there now. Our 7 yo has been sleeping in there every night. She can read before she falls asleep now, She shares a room with 18 mo, who is a light sleeper. She also keeps her 250 pc playmobil zoo in there which is hazard to little sister who likes to taste everything-ughh. The room will be available to dd19 when she is home but utilized while she is away.
When ds left, he thought everything would be left the same as it had always been. I explained it was not possible to leave his room a shrine while he was away-lol.
It is not an ideal situation but we make the best of the space we have. I did worry just a little that our son would feel squeezed out but that has not been the case. We make it as comfortable as we can when he is home. He is very independent and wants to get his own place as soon as he is done with school and finds gainful employment.
We condsidered adding on to the house, it just did'nt seem to make sense given that there would probably only be an overlap of a few years where all our children would be home at the same time.
I have been thinking of doing something fun in dd19's room for dd7 to enjoy while big sister is away. Like putting more of a day bed in there with lots of pillows and netting that comes down. For a special reading space.
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Married to a wonderful hubby of 23 years. Mother to ds 20, dd 18, dd7 and dd 6/10...yes we know, big space ;)
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Bridget
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| Posted: Jan 24 2012 at 6:56am | IP Logged
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Are you kidding? It's a shrine! 
Actually my oldest shared a room with his brother so there won't be any changes for a long time. I am sure Kevin J. will be home summers for a while yet as well. I am in no hurry for my young adults to be on their own. Like Sally's daughter, my son appreciates coming home and slipping back into family life.
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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amy soper
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| Posted: Jan 24 2012 at 7:40am | IP Logged
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[QUOTE=Bridget] Are you kidding? It's a shrine!
Barb, I was just being sarcastic-lol.
I am not in any hurry for them to leave the nest either. It is just so strange seeing the changes in my son over the last year. The maturity and more of a natural progression toward the inevitable. I get choked up just thinking about him leaving.
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Married to a wonderful hubby of 23 years. Mother to ds 20, dd 18, dd7 and dd 6/10...yes we know, big space ;)
www.amy-freshvintage.blogspot.com
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Barb.b
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| Posted: Jan 24 2012 at 9:26am | IP Logged
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Well, not planning to make too many changes here either. He will always have a bed and a small dresser - but some day I can add a small tv and 2 old recliners I have to make it another living/video game area. So, when he does come home - it is cool for him (got 2 recliners and tv'xbox IN the room) and usable for us when he is gone.
Barb
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stacykay
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| Posted: Jan 24 2012 at 11:53am | IP Logged
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The only change we made when our two oldest boys went away to school was to switch rooms around, giving the next oldest set the larger room, and the middle-sized room to the college boys. We were anticipating oldest ds (now 23yo) to be going off somewhere for his career after graduation, and for #2ds (now 21yo) to be a couple of states away for four years, before taking off on his career.
Well, #2ds did not have a good experience at his first college and came home. He now commutes. Then #1ds did not find a job right away, and he came home. #1 finally found a job, but he is living at home, as the pay is absurdly low and there is no way he could support himself in an apartment, even with roommates.
Also, we have all the "away to college" items that the boys have brought back home with them. For #2, this doesn't amount to too much, but #1 had an apartment his last three years at school. We have multiple totes filling our basement with all his "stuff." It's "stuff" he will need when he eventually moves out, so we can't just toss it.
Our home is fairly bursting at the seams.
In Christ,
Stacy in MI
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Bridget
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| Posted: Jan 24 2012 at 12:10pm | IP Logged
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stacykay wrote:
#1 finally found a job, but he is living at home, as the pay is absurdly low and there is no way he could support himself in an apartment, even with roommates.
Our home is fairly bursting at the seams.
In Christ,
Stacy in MI |
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Stacy, unless the economy in MI improves dramatically, we are sort of planning on this happening. We just figure we'll be helping our grown children longer because of the job(less) situation here.
Maybe there will be a big turn around soon! 'First down, first up' my economist brother tells me... something like that.
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Bridget, happily married to Kevin, mom to 8 on earth and a small army in heaven
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SallyT
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| Posted: Jan 24 2012 at 2:08pm | IP Logged
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That's very true. One of the things we thought about when we bought our current house, which is on the large side for our family of 6, was that we wanted to have room either for an elderly parent to live with us if necessary, and that we wanted to be prepared for the eventuality of adult children (even with spouses and children -- one never knows) needing a place to land for a while. My high-school English teacher, with whom I remain friends, is currently looking for a house which she can more comfortably share with her divorced daughter and grandson for the long haul, and in this economy, I can see that happening more and more. Our area's not exactly a job mecca, but if somebody needed a place, the door would be open.
And college plans do go awry. So while we do use our daughter's space some (and she left very little of her own things in it anyway), we're still calling it her room, because you really never know . . .
Sally
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Erin
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| Posted: Jan 24 2012 at 5:45pm | IP Logged
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Barb
My first leaves home in a fortnight 
I was planning on leaving her room as is, but apparently she thinks that is ridiculous (her words) as we have 8 other children. Her and her brother (14) have organised that he will move in and have his own room for the first time ever! He is excited 
My plan is to leave his bed up in the room he shares with his brother and in Uni holidays he just moves back to his old bed and she has the room. Another plan may be that she just bunks in with her little sisters for holidays. After all she did tell me that she may not be home for holidays if she gets work!! Please one shock at a time!
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4Real Forums : Our Lady's Loom, Larder, and Laundry
Topic: college kids rooms at home. . .
