A new room for the 4 little girls??? Share your ideas!!!

[homeschoolmomma1]

Maybe it is not 100% but I think it is sort of abusive to not let kids have their own bed. I don't mean call the authorities type of abuse but just doesn't sit well with me with the little kids overall development. Buy some beds with the TLC Money. Sean I'm TALKING TO YOU!

[slickcat79]

Maybe it is not 100% but I think it is sort of abusive to not let kids have their own bed. I don't mean call the authorities type of abuse but just doesn't sit well with me with the little kids overall development. Buy some beds with the TLC Money. Sean I'm TALKING TO YOU!

If the kids were wards of the state, it wouldn't be allowed. They have a lot of rules for foster kids that are probably overkill, but it does say something.

[bananacat]

Maybe it is not 100% but I think it is sort of abusive to not let kids have their own bed. I don't mean call the authorities type of abuse but just doesn't sit well with me with the little kids overall development. Buy some beds with the TLC Money. Sean I'm TALKING TO YOU!

I don't know if it's actually abusive, but I can definitely see how it would negatively affect the kids. They don't have anything that can just be their own. They have to share literally everything. Little kids get attached to things that are consistent in their lives, so I think it would be especially hard on the boys to have their own little space and then get kicked out of it every time a brother got older. And I especially feel bad for the kids who have no bed at all, like the ones who sleep on a futon or pack-n-plays. It must feel more like they are camping out than actually having a home. And something like this could really stir up resentment among the older girls. They had their own beds with their names on them and that was probably the first thing they ever had that was their own, and then their little sisters make them switch around and their parents keep adding more kids. As much as they preach family harmony, I can see this forming a rift. Having a consistent place that you can always go and feel comfortable is really important for a kid. It's things like this that seem minor but end up being big issues when those kids are adults and have memories of childhood. Not getting a pony or an expensive toy is one thing, but it's really hurtful to be shuffled around so often and not even get your own bed.

[smoking_catholic]

Well, IKEA is a Swedish company and God hates Sweden, don't ya know:

landoverbaptist.net/showthread.php?t=44379

I especially enjoyed comment #5.

[IReallyAmHopewell]

Smuggar did NOT have his own room. The guest room is vacant when Grandma is not there.

[MrsKay]

I know that here, CAS (Children's Aid Society) says that Pack n' Plays for full-time use is a BIG no-no, and every child has to have a crib or bed for themselves. I've known people who have had involvement with them, and it's a rule that can get your kids removed from your home; after a friend had her baby, her boyfriend's family placed a malicious call to CAS, and although nothing was wrong, they spotted the bassinet and no crib. I had to send DH out, while they waited at the home, to plunk $300.00 down on a crib so that they wouldn't take a 2 day old infant away from a capable mother.

It's not a law - they can't make you have a crib before you check out of the hospital, and our visiting health nurse was fine with us using a bassinet for the first couple of months - but once the province or state is involved, there are some seriously rigid rules.

All of that aside, I cringe at a baby/toddler/child sleeping nonstop in a PnP. That cannot be comfortable, or good for developing posture etc. My father built bunk beds for my brothers out of scrap lumber - took less than an afternoon, and lasted for years. I totally agree, why the hell can't they at least do something like that, or trundle beds? Hell, they could make a building project "special" out of it. Lazy, miserly fuckers.

[Lillybee]

How many beds do they have for all those girls, I could only see 5.

[MrsKay]

Yep, just Googled for pics and pretty sure there are only 5.

[Markie]

Yes. Two doubles with Jill and Jana stencilled on them and three singles for Jessa, Jinger and Joy. The clip for Tuesday shows Jessa getting Johanna down for a nap and she's on the floor.

[bananacat]

I know that here, CAS (Children's Aid Society) says that Pack n' Plays for full-time use is a BIG no-no, and every child has to have a crib or bed for themselves. I've known people who have had involvement with them, and it's a rule that can get your kids removed from your home; after a friend had her baby, her boyfriend's family placed a malicious call to CAS, and although nothing was wrong, they spotted the bassinet and no crib. I had to send DH out, while they waited at the home, to plunk $300.00 down on a crib so that they wouldn't take a 2 day old infant away from a capable mother.

It's not a law - they can't make you have a crib before you check out of the hospital, and our visiting health nurse was fine with us using a bassinet for the first couple of months - but once the province or state is involved, there are some seriously rigid rules.

All of that aside, I cringe at a baby/toddler/child sleeping nonstop in a PnP. That cannot be comfortable, or good for developing posture etc. My father built bunk beds for my brothers out of scrap lumber - took less than an afternoon, and lasted for years. I totally agree, why the hell can't they at least do something like that, or trundle beds? Hell, they could make a building project "special" out of it. Lazy, miserly fuckers.

The guidelines for foster or adopted kids are stricter than for full-on biological kids, and for good reason. It's not just a big deal for two siblings to share a bed when they are little, but forcing two foster kids to share who might be complete strangers is a bit different. It can also be hard for foster kids to cope to the re-adjustment of a new home, and having a bed of their own can make them feel more at home. There are also occasionally foster parents who want take on more kids can they handle, either for good or bad intentions, and the bed rule is a way to help prevent that. In most cases these rules are made for foster kids, and it seems like in your friend's case a social worker was abusing a rule that was intended for a different purpose.

[FireIsCatching89]

I don't know if it's actually abusive, but I can definitely see how it would negatively affect the kids. They don't have anything that can just be their own. They have to share literally everything. Little kids get attached to things that are consistent in their lives, so I think it would be especially hard on the boys to have their own little space and then get kicked out of it every time a brother got older. And I especially feel bad for the kids who have no bed at all, like the ones who sleep on a futon or pack-n-plays. It must feel more like they are camping out than actually having a home. And something like this could really stir up resentment among the older girls. They had their own beds with their names on them and that was probably the first thing they ever had that was their own, and then their little sisters make them switch around and their parents keep adding more kids. As much as they preach family harmony, I can see this forming a rift. Having a consistent place that you can always go and feel comfortable is really important for a kid. It's things like this that seem minor but end up being big issues when those kids are adults and have memories of childhood. Not getting a pony or an expensive toy is one thing, but it's really hurtful to be shuffled around so often and not even get your own bed.

Hey by not having their own beds, the girls will have a harder sense of forming an individual identity, since they don't have individual "stuff." Great way to keep control of a brood and inspire groupthink!

And what if one of the girls is hell to share a bed with, like a squirmer or a bedwetter or a talker? It's quite common for little children to talk in their sleep or sleepwalk, and they often grow out of it during adolescence, but I don't think Joy-Anna would want some sleepy six year old yammering in her ear, especially since kids going through puberty need EXTRA quality sleep, due to the huge amounts of energy it takes for a body to change and grow so drastically. I can see huuuuge problems developing in this sort of situation.

And do the kids still share socks? (a little O/T, but this reminded me of the sock bins in the first special) Grossssss... Shirts and skirts and trousers I understand, even though it would annoy me, but things like socks and undergarmets are really personal things, not to mention can get really grody really fast. I never share anything like that with anyone!

I'd love to get the girls crazy pillows for their beds. They're usually fairly cheap and can add a lot of flavor to a boring room or palette. Even those tacky giant Tootsie Roll pillows would be a welcome sight, since that's something kinda off-beat and individual and tween-y.

[Guest Anonymous]

Never mind the new room, what the 4 youngest girls really need is new PARENTS!

[luckylassie]

I would definitely get the girls some cute bunk beds. with some kind of built in storage. I would also get them either comforters or pillows with their names on them since the older girls have beds with theirs on the headboard.