Seven Sisters share a bed!!!!

[O Latin]

Me, too. I have slept with all those same people (cousins, college roommates, momma, my sister, my SIL, various friends, etc. Just not my MIL, b/c she probably would have murdered me in my sleep!) I'm traveling to Ireland with my best friend this summer and we plan to just have one room everywhere we stay, and we naturally assume that in some places, there will be just one bed. We'll save the lodging money and spend it on exploring or other fun things!

Me too. I went on choir trips all through high school and we almost always had to share beds. My mom and I often go on trips together, just us, and sometimes it's cheaper to get a hotel room with one king bed than one with two doubles, so that's what we do (although king beds are BIG, with more than enough room for two adults). I much, much, much prefer having my own bed, as I tend to toss and turn, but sharing isn't the worst thing in the world.

That room is a little frilly for my tastes, but I don't see anything wrong with an "old-fashioned" decorating scheme. I think it's a good way for people to fulfill their "wasn't the past wonderful" fantasies while still taking advantage of all the 21st century has to offer (not that the seven sisters are necessarily doing that).

[Jenesis Jexodus]

See that I think is weird! I didn't share a bed with siblings, but I shared a bed with team mates in college when traveling, with friends as adults, with my sister in law, mother and mother in law. I can't really understand thinking that is so wrong, weird, whatever that you couldn't do it.

OK, let me try to understand. You're sleeping in bed with a team mate, friend, sister in law or mother in law. You're right next to each other, your heads are inches apart. You're practically breathing on each other. You get past that somehow and you manage to fall asleep. Do you bump into each other at night? If so do you say excuse me? I'm serious, I just can't imagine this. What if you bump into a personal spot on the person, what then? What if they touch something on you, don't you get the major creeps? I would have to wear like tons of clothes and put a barrier in bed if I slept with a relative. It just couldn't be done.

[SpeshulTaterTot]

Seriously? What are you so scared of? I've shared the bed with friends male and female before, it doesn't matter. What usually happens is that we end up sleeping back to back, and so what if my butt touches a friend's in the night? It happens when we go out dancing, our thighs touch when we're at the lake tanning, I really don't see the big deal. But then I also go to the mixed sauna where strangers see me completely naked. It's very rare that I cover up and leave because some guy gives me the creeps by staring.

[QAF_Rocks]

OK, let me try to understand. You're sleeping in bed with a team mate, friend, sister in law or mother in law. You're right next to each other, your heads are inches apart. You're practically breathing on each other. You get past that somehow and you manage to fall asleep. Do you bump into each other at night? If so do you say excuse me? I'm serious, I just can't imagine this. What if you bump into a personal spot on the person, what then? What if they touch something on you, don't you get the major creeps? I would have to wear like tons of clothes and put a barrier in bed if I slept with a relative. It just couldn't be done.

I'm an extremely modest person (not for religious reasons), but I'm not really sure what the problem would be if you touched a relative in your sleep. You touch them when you're awake, don't you? I'm not a super touchy-feely person, but I give my relatives hugs all the time. I would touch their head or shoulder without even thinking about it.

On the occasions I've shared a bed with my brother or my parents as a teenager or adult, we didn't end up right next to each other. We each stayed on our own side of the bed. If you're in a king or queen size bed, I can't imagine that you would accidentally bump into the other person, but even if you did, I don't see why it would be strange.

When I was little, part of the reason I wanted to share a bed with my parents was to cuddle with them. I assume most children do that, or want to do that, with their parents. On weekend mornings, there would often be all four of us in the bed together. Obviously, children tend to grow out of wanting to cuddle with their parents, but it seems unusual for parents not to allow that when the kids are small.

[snarkykitty]

My sisters (twins) shared a bed until they were 12, because we had 3 girls in one tiny bedroom (a queen bed and a twin bed). During storms or when I was scared, I'd get in bed with them, on the edge of the bed, hoping not to wake them.

I often had to sleep in my mom's bed when I was younger because i was sick and she wanted me close by in case I got worse (parents were divorced). Of course, I HATED sleeping in her bed. HATED it. She's a light sleeper and just my rolling over or getting up to pee would wake her up.

In high school, on sleepovers, friends sometimes shared beds, since several of them had full or queen-sized beds in their rooms. In my sophomore year of HS, we went on a school trip to DC, staying 4 people (girls) to a hotel room, so 2 people were in each bed. I've had other occasions as both a college student and an adult staying at friend's places or hotels, and shared beds (when it was a matter of sleeping on a floor with nothing else, or sharing a bed, I'd share a bed). If the bed was small, we'd sleep Head-to-toe to give a little more space (it actually does give you more space for your head). When I was single, I'd even shared a bed with a close male friend a few times.

On a regular basis, however, I don't even like people to be in the same room with me when I sleep. In college, I hated having roommates. By third semester, I was able to have a single room, and when I transferred schools, I had an off-campus apartment that although I shared it with two girls, I had my own bedroom AND bathroom. SCORE!

In the past 10-15 years, I've also shared beds with my nieces and sisters, because of over-crowding at holidays and some people traveling quite far and staying the night. (The youngest niece kept me up on the few occasions we shared a bed. Every two minutes - "are you asleep Auntie?" "Are you tired Auntie?" "Do you want my stuffed cat, Auntie?")

I will say that I usually prefer my own space, especially when I am not feeling well and don't want to keep someone else up. In our previous house, we had a complete extra bedroom set up, and either hubby or I went in there when I was up coughing all night. When we moved, we didn't bring that extra bed (I'm smacking myself now for it), so I relegate myself to the couch when I'm up sick. Hubby also gets the jimmy legs sometimes, and I'm a bed thrasher (I have kicked and punched in my sleep, acting out dreams), so we are lucky we have a king-sized bed with space to separate us at times!

[Kitchen Princess]

I'm sorry polabear but I have never heard such bizarre things in my life. Choosing to sleep with your sis over your husband? I don't know I'm just not from that way of life and I find it really strange.

It's just sleep.

I'm the only girl in my family. I've never had a bed mate, although my brothers and sons and grandsons all did in some configuration over the years. Marriage was extremely difficult for me, because I had trouble adjusting to having someone else near me while I slept. During small children, I adapted--in fact my youngest slept with us until he was almost 10, (mostly on the floor after he got so big) and after that, when he was still getting up in the morning instead of the afternoon, he would come in and lie on top of the covers with me for half an hour every morning.

At this point, with all the kids grown and a husband who snores and has restless legs, I have my very own room with my very own bed. People are shocked and like to think my marriage is bad when I say this, but it's not. It's just sleep. I spend more time sleeping than I do having sex (especially at my age), so sleeping takes priority.

I have a feeling that when both of us are hard of hearing and sickly we'll start sleeping in the same room again, just in case. But until then, my marriage is better when I get peaceful sleep.

[genericJname]

Wow, I'm surprised that so many people like that room. I think it looks like something a grandmother would have liked in the 80s. To each their own, I guess. But I would not place that as a room for 20-somethings.

I agree. The room seems like belongs to someone much much older.

[treemom]

OK, let me try to understand. You're sleeping in bed with a team mate, friend, sister in law or mother in law. You're right next to each other, your heads are inches apart. You're practically breathing on each other. You get past that somehow and you manage to fall asleep. Do you bump into each other at night? If so do you say excuse me? I'm serious, I just can't imagine this. What if you bump into a personal spot on the person, what then? What if they touch something on you, don't you get the major creeps? I would have to wear like tons of clothes and put a barrier in bed if I slept with a relative. It just couldn't be done.

Which is fine ..but that is your issue, not nessecarily a common theme amongst everyone. Honestly I never thought this much about it and no one ever touched anything on me to get the creeps. I mean my arm isn't private and I don't care who hip checks me or bumps into my butt. No one was fingering me for god sakes.

[ukool23]

Not crazy about the bed sharing, but i love the room!

I also thought that all 7 shared a bed when i saw the thread title!

[Austin]

Which is fine ..but that is your issue, not nessecarily a common theme amongst everyone. Honestly I never thought this much about it and no one ever touched anything on me to get the creeps. I mean my arm isn't private and I don't care who hip checks me or bumps into my butt. No one was fingering me for god sakes.

OMG, I'm dying.

JJ, obviously you don't want to ever sleep with a relative or friend. That's fine and you should do whatever you want. I think maybe, possibly, you may be oversexualizing things or something (just my opinion based on what you've posted). But as you can see by the many responses here, it is neither weird nor bizarre for people to bunk with relatives and friends in certain situations, and a pretty common practice.

[Witsec7]

I think JJ needs to move her commentary over to the phobia thread :lol:

[moreorlessnu]

So.....Sarah Maxwell has never (to my knowledge) expressed unhappiness with her situation. She just has very sad eyes in photographs of her. The seven sisters seem all happy and cheery, but one sister has mentioned wanting to die so that she can be free and travel.

Yet, we view Sarah as miserable (Free poor Sarah!), and the consensus appears to be that the seven sisters are happy with their lives, so there's no hue and cry to free them (or at least free the older ones).

Why??

Once a grown woman is trapped living a little girl's life under the control of her father, there's not much difference between ages 25 and 30, so why such a different attitude toward these 2 SAHD's?

[Jenesis Jexodus]

Thanks for the replies to my questions about relative-sleeping. Maybe I'm sheltered somewhat in that area as I really never heard of such a thing and no one I have ever known ever mentioned that before. I'll accept that it's just my hangup to not be able to even contemplate doing such a thing probably because I grew up to be very independent very quickly. Had to take care of myself a lot and wasn't coddled (or cuddled) much. It's probably better to be able to do that than to not be able to do that I don't know. I honestly really would have to build a barrier between me and someone who wasn't my spouse in bed. Congratulations to everyone who is comfortable with it though. I'm OK with being laughed at for the way I am I suppose my way seems strange to someone who is used to their way just like their way seems funny to me. No harm done, no hard feelings.

[Austin]

Thanks for the replies to my questions about relative-sleeping. Maybe I'm sheltered somewhat in that area as I really never heard of such a thing and no one I have ever known ever mentioned that before. I'll accept that it's just my hangup to not be able to even contemplate doing such a thing probably because I grew up to be very independent very quickly. Had to take care of myself a lot and wasn't coddled (or cuddled) much. It's probably better to be able to do that than to not be able to do that I don't know. I honestly really would have to build a barrier between me and someone who wasn't my spouse in bed. Congratulations to everyone who is comfortable with it though. I'm OK with being laughed at for the way I am I suppose my way seems strange to someone who is used to their way just like their way seems funny to me. No harm done, no hard feelings.

It seems to me that you're the one who did the calling out:

I'm sorry polabear but I have never heard such bizarre things in my life. Choosing to sleep with your sis over your husband? I don't know I'm just not from that way of life and I find it really strange.

It's one thing to say, "That's not my preference", or "I wouldn't feel comfortable with that". It's another thing to tell others that they're "bizarre". So painting yourself as a victim here isn't working. Also, just because a person is not phobically uncomfortable about sharing a bed with a relative or friend under certain circumstances doesn't mean that they are not independent or that they have been coddled. Those are some really huge leaps.

And I don't know if you're talking about my ROFL laughing emoticon, but I was laughing at treemom because she said something really funny. But if you want to personalize it, go ahead.

[HOTW]

There have been occasions where I shared my bed with friends on sleepovers-it was common when I was little for our Mum to top and tail us in a single. The few times I had to sleep with my sister it was all out war during the night.I actually punched her in my sleep and gave her a black eye but then again oin the previous encounter she pushe dme out of bed(my sis and I never got along-we shared a room once for 2 years and our parents swore never again!) My 3 bro's quite often had to share a room but never beds unless it was a space issue with people being in the house.

I find their room nicely done. I can see why some people wouldn't like their decor but it's up to personal taste. My Dad preferred very wild colour schemes but he was colour blind so we have no idea what he reallly saw!!!

[Esther]

OK, let me try to understand. You're sleeping in bed with a team mate, friend, sister in law or mother in law. You're right next to each other, your heads are inches apart. You're practically breathing on each other. You get past that somehow and you manage to fall asleep. Do you bump into each other at night? If so do you say excuse me? I'm serious, I just can't imagine this. What if you bump into a personal spot on the person, what then? What if they touch something on you, don't you get the major creeps? I would have to wear like tons of clothes and put a barrier in bed if I slept with a relative. It just couldn't be done.

Last time I slept in a bed with my brother (my only sibling - I'm a girl) I was like nineteen and he was sixteen. We were on holidays with our parents, had to stay in this hotel one night, and they didn't have any rooms with two separate beds left, though we'd asked for that when we booked. So we slept in the same bed, and neither of us was in the least uncomfortable with that. Nobody touched anyone except for like the occasional brush of a foot. I've slept in a bed with cousins, with my mother, with my grandparents, with my father, with female and male friends, etc. I wouldn't want to do it every night, but I don't find it weird at all for a night in a hotel sometime. Nobody has ever accidentally touched me in a weird or uncomfortable way.

[treemom]

Thanks for the replies to my questions about relative-sleeping. Maybe I'm sheltered somewhat in that area as I really never heard of such a thing and no one I have ever known ever mentioned that before. I'll accept that it's just my hangup to not be able to even contemplate doing such a thing probably because I grew up to be very independent very quickly. Had to take care of myself a lot and wasn't coddled (or cuddled) much. It's probably better to be able to do that than to not be able to do that I don't know. I honestly really would have to build a barrier between me and someone who wasn't my spouse in bed. Congratulations to everyone who is comfortable with it though. I'm OK with being laughed at for the way I am I suppose my way seems strange to someone who is used to their way just like their way seems funny to me. No harm done, no hard feelings.

If you thought that was making fun of you, you are going to have a hard time here.

I think it is fine to not sleep with others or dislike it...but to consider it completely out of the ordinary to ever, in any circumstance sleep with someone of the same gender or to feel like they would touch you in a creepy way just isn't the common view.

[lilwriter85]

Relative sleeping is and is still common in big families. Both of my parents came from families of 8 kids. My mother was the youngest in her family and there two older brothers ahead of her and her sisters were several years older than her and they left home between the ages of 18-20. My mom mostly had her own bed and sometimes she had to share beds with her sisters or parents when siblings came for visits.

My dad had three sisters and four brothers. My dad and his brothers slept on bunk beds. My dad's oldest sister left home at 13 to attend a Catholic boarding school, so she was never around a lot. The other two sisters slept in a queen size bed.

A friend of mine came from a family of 7 and some of his sisters shared beds.

[Jenesis Jexodus]

It seems to me that you're the one who did the calling out:

It's one thing to say, "That's not my preference", or "I wouldn't feel comfortable with that". It's another thing to tell others that they're "bizarre". So painting yourself as a victim here isn't working. Also, just because a person is not phobically uncomfortable about sharing a bed with a relative or friend under certain circumstances doesn't mean that they are not independent or that they have been coddled. Those are some really huge leaps.

And I don't know if you're talking about my ROFL laughing emoticon, but I was laughing at treemom because she said something really funny. But if you want to personalize it, go ahead.

Hey chill out, it's not that big of a deal. I'm never going to be able to sleep with someone who isn't my spouse. So what, you can, I can't, no big deal.

[Austin]

So.....Sarah Maxwell has never (to my knowledge) expressed unhappiness with her situation. She just has very sad eyes in photographs of her. The seven sisters seem all happy and cheery, but one sister has mentioned wanting to die so that she can be free and travel.

Yet, we view Sarah as miserable (Free poor Sarah!), and the consensus appears to be that the seven sisters are happy with their lives, so there's no hue and cry to free them (or at least free the older ones).

Why??

Once a grown woman is trapped living a little girl's life under the control of her father, there's not much difference between ages 25 and 30, so why such a different attitude toward these 2 SAHD's?

My attitude is consistent with all of them. They're all grown women and they can walk out of those prisons houses any time they want. Some will argue that they are brainwashed and that they have no free will. I don't buy that. Yes, I think they're drinking the kool-aid, but it's not like they have a kool-aid IV. I think part of it is that they don't want to risk their parents' ire and they don't want to leave their comfy, secure existences. Look at all that Razing Ruth has had to go through, all the financial insecurity and stress. They're not signing up for that, and I get that. But the victimhood thing only goes so far. And that goes for Sarah Maxwell and any other adult woman who is choosing to live under their father's authority. And yes, I think it is a choice, as very, very few people are that sheltered that they have no inkling they have other choices.

I save my empathy for the children who truly have no choices.

[Austin]

Hey chill out, it's not that big of a deal. I'm never going to be able to sleep with someone who isn't my spouse. So what, you can, I can't, no big deal.

Hey, chill out yourself. You're the one calling people "bizarre" and "strange" for having a different take on it than you do.

[treemom]

Hey chill out, it's not that big of a deal. I'm never going to be able to sleep with someone who isn't my spouse. So what, you can, I can't, no big deal.

You are the one who just said we were making fun of you

[Jenesis Jexodus]

Hey, chill out yourself. You're the one calling people "bizarre" and "strange" for having a different take on it than you do.

Obviously you were insulted by my lack of understanding of your sleeping preferences. Like I TRIED TO SAY No hard feelings. If you don't want to accept my explanation for my lack of insight into relative sleeping than don't but don't try to keep harping on my lack of understanding, I accepted that you sleep with relatives while I don't.

[Jenesis Jexodus]

You are the one who just said we were making fun of you

:lol: Have a nice night, don't let the bed bugs bite!

[alba]

OK, let me try to understand. You're sleeping in bed with a team mate, friend, sister in law or mother in law. You're right next to each other, your heads are inches apart. You're practically breathing on each other. You get past that somehow and you manage to fall asleep. Do you bump into each other at night? If so do you say excuse me? I'm serious, I just can't imagine this. What if you bump into a personal spot on the person, what then? What if they touch something on you, don't you get the major creeps? I would have to wear like tons of clothes and put a barrier in bed if I slept with a relative. It just couldn't be done.

Heads 'inches apart'? If you're looking at two dozen inches, then yes, but, really, last time I shared a bed with a friend we faced away from each other and had at least a foot of space between the closest parts of our bodies in the double bed.

It can be a problem if one or both of the people moves around a lot, but with relatively stationary sleepers you just keep to your own side of the bed.

Of course, I've shared a bed, snuggling included, with platonic male friends before, so I wouldn't feel awkward even if I *did* accidentally touch or were touched by a bedmate. While I'm uncomfortable with personal touching from people I don't know, I pretty much don't have a personal bubble with friends and relatives.