Guestroom situation for family gatherings. What say you?

[Anonymous]

Should people who never have children, always be delegated to the sofa or air mattress? Every single time? For the rest of time, for every family gathering?

I think that's terribly unfair. Alternating seems reasonable. Or whoever makes their travel plans first.

[Anonymous]

The one with kids get the Guest room. If u r feeling bad about it, off sibling b your bed and sleep on the couch

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First to RSVP gets the guest room. Single non parents don't always want to be relegated to the couch.

Agreed. If I was the first to RSVP and then found out I was demoted to the couch because my sibling who had more kids finally decided to join, I would leave.

Really? I can't imagine anyone in my family acting like this. We would all give up the guest room to the group that needed it most.

FWIW, none of us have a guestroom. We tend to use the living rooms and family rooms. We put out blow up mattresses and sleeping bags and we push furniture together. Then we congregate in the kitchen and deck so guests can keep their stuff out instead of having to clean it up. I would so much rather be inconvenienced than not see my family.

I am the PP you responded to, and I don't think a single person needs a private room less than people with kids. Privacy is highly valued, and if mine is not respected but others' is, I don't see any reason to stay.

[Anonymous]

How many bedrooms do you have? I make my kids sleep together when we have guests visiting and we need two extra rooms. Then for the rare occasions we need 3 extra rooms, I put the air mattress in our master bedroom and my kids sleep in the room with us. I would rather inconvenience myself or my kids instead of making Sibling B sleep on a couch.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depending on the age of the kids, they are more sensitive to changes in the sleep routine. My 3 year old is used to sleeping on a bed. I have no idea how he would fare on a couch or the floor.

O
M
G
AND sticking on a couch is killing him....?
Some of you are killing me with that kind of nonsense.

Do you have children?? If he refuses to sleep on the couch and just gets more wound up, that affects everyone else in the house.

Yes, I have kids. And guess what,pp, says SHE HAS NO IDEA HE WOULD DO ON A COUCH!!!
Personally, I prefer the pallet in the floor, call it a camp out adventure, no muss, no fuss.
Some folks really are punks when it comes to their kids.
Having ur kid experience something new, if the situation calls for it, is a great lesson and life.
Sometimes it actually it works.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Should people who never have children, always be delegated to the sofa or air mattress? Every single time? For the rest of time, for every family gathering?

I think that's terribly unfair. Alternating seems reasonable. Or whoever makes their travel plans first.

But young kids aren't young forever. At some point they will be teens and it will be easier to put them on an air mattress/floor/or stay in a hotel. But suggesting a family with young kids stay in a hotel is much less comfortable and convienent for them and the end result is going to be less family time. In my family, we'd all rather be together.

But OP, I second someone else's suggestion - do you have kids who can double up? Or if you have just one, can he or she sleep with you?

[Anonymous]

I think the toddler needs a room more than anyone else.

I would either a) tell the single sib she can have the bedroom but the toddler sleeps there too or b) give it to the family.

I am the only one with kids in my family and when the kids are with me, I take a room. When they aren't, I take whatever is left. When my family visits, I give my parents my room, my sis and her husband take my daughter's room with the double bed, I take the room with a twin, and put the kids on the floor (they are 5)

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Scenario: Sibling A is inviting family over (from out of town) for a holiday. They only have 1 guest room. The visitors include:

Sibling B: adult, single, who was the first confirm that they'll visit, and make reservations.

Sibling C: married, with 1 toddler (3 people); hesitated on making reservations, but decided to join and visit

Sibling C has a family, and would appreciate a guest room because they have more people and could use the privacy. Sibling B usually sleeps on the sofa, and did so for a previous/similar gathering. But would like the guest room for similar privacy/comfort reasons.

What would you suggest for a reasonable agreement?

Give the room to Sibling C and hope he bows out.

The whole idea sounds like an exercise in masochism. Next time try to get a neighborhood discount at a local inn. Capitol Hill B&Bs offer such arrangements for the neighborhood hoping to drum up business and it works for both the families and the hotels who get guests who tell their friends back home.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:This depends on family dynamics but in my family, Sibling C (with family) gets the room and Sibling B gets the couch. That way, Sibling C can put kiddo to bed and family can continue to spend time together whereas if they were staying in a hotel, they'd need to leave. Also, it just is what it is - family with most pressing needs gets better set up. When Sibling B has kids and Sibling C's kids are older, Sibling B gets the room, Sibling C stays in a hotel (because the older kids can stay at the family gathering longer/crash on a couch till it's time to go/etc.).

+1. this is really a no brainer. both my DH and I have two siblings. we were the first to have kids in my family, my DH was the last to have kids in his, so we have been on both sides of the situation, the ones with no kids and the ones with kids where other sibs did not have them. I think at the core is that we all love each other and love to see each other, we are all happy to sleep on the floor or wherever to stay together. keeping kids on the couch is stupid because the entire family is affected, especially if they are little, because they have their routine and usually go to sleep at 8 or 9pm. kids sleep on the couch, then the entire family cannot sit on the couch and chat. a hotel can be a solution, however flying with two or three kids is not exactly cheap, being able to save on one or two hotel rooms is nice. also, I do not agree with other posters that the first who responds gets the best spot, it does not make sense (if you have a queen size bed in the guest room and a small futon, the family of 4 sleep on the futon while the single sib gets the room and the queen size bed just because he responded first?). obviously, if people think in terms of "being demoted" to the couch or stuff like that, the outcome of the vacation does not look good.

OMG! Get a hotel room already. But, no u can't just delegate folks with no kids to the couch and no privacy.
I have kids and I WOULD NOT DO THAT. Heck, i sleep on the sofa at home and my mom's, by choice, SOMETIMES. But, I always have the option of a room! As for rbe kids, I am a roll with the punches momma in that I can let my kid sleep on the couch or floor. I have actually put my kids to bed in the guest room... Then when said person is ready for bed, GASP, I moved my kid to the floor somewhere else.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depending on the age of the kids, they are more sensitive to changes in the sleep routine. My 3 year old is used to sleeping on a bed. I have no idea how he would fare on a couch or the floor.

O
M
G
AND sticking on a couch is killing him....?
Some of you are killing me with that kind of nonsense.

Do you have children?? If he refuses to sleep on the couch and just gets more wound up, that affects everyone else in the house.

Yes, I have kids. And guess what,pp, says SHE HAS NO IDEA HE WOULD DO ON A COUCH!!!
Personally, I prefer the pallet in the floor, call it a camp out adventure, no muss, no fuss.
Some folks really are punks when it comes to their kids.
Having ur kid experience something new, if the situation calls for it, is a great lesson and life.
Sometimes it actually it works.

Different poster here: FWIW I'm the exact opposite. I wouldn't even consider staying in the house. I'd google and/or Kayak a good hotel suite nearby and have a place with room service and wifi for a good night's sleep.
To each his/her own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think the toddler needs a room more than anyone else.

I would either a) tell the single sib she can have the bedroom but the toddler sleeps there too or b) give it to the family.

I am the only one with kids in my family and when the kids are with me, I take a room. When they aren't, I take whatever is left. When my family visits, I give my parents my room, my sis and her husband take my daughter's room with the double bed, I take the room with a twin, and put the kids on the floor (they are 5)

So being, the only one with kids does not now somehow mean you get to 'cut in line' so to speak.
Geez!!!
Childless people want privacy and quiet too. They need to get away from your bratty ass kids u think makes u special .

[Anonymous]

^^pp here
I am a parent, but I know that's not like a permission slip for life to give me whateva the heck I want.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:First to RSVP gets the guest room. Single non parents don't always want to be relegated to the couch.

Agreed. If I was the first to RSVP and then found out I was demoted to the couch because my sibling who had more kids finally decided to join, I would leave.

Really? I can't imagine anyone in my family acting like this. We would all give up the guest room to the group that needed it most.

FWIW, none of us have a guestroom. We tend to use the living rooms and family rooms. We put out blow up mattresses and sleeping bags and we push furniture together. Then we congregate in the kitchen and deck so guests can keep their stuff out instead of having to clean it up. I would so much rather be inconvenienced than not see my family.

I am the PP you responded to, and I don't think a single person needs a private room less than people with kids. Privacy is highly valued, and if mine is not respected but others' is, I don't see any reason to stay.

In my family, if you were this fragile, then you would get the best room. We'd do that for you because we value our time together and we don't want anyone to be uncomfortable. The rest of us would make do.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Depending on the age of the kids, they are more sensitive to changes in the sleep routine. My 3 year old is used to sleeping on a bed. I have no idea how he would fare on a couch or the floor.

O
M
G
AND sticking on a couch is killing him....?
Some of you are killing me with that kind of nonsense.

Do you have children?? If he refuses to sleep on the couch and just gets more wound up, that affects everyone else in the house.

Yes, I have kids. And guess what,pp, says SHE HAS NO IDEA HE WOULD DO ON A COUCH!!!
Personally, I prefer the pallet in the floor, call it a camp out adventure, no muss, no fuss.
Some folks really are punks when it comes to their kids.
Having ur kid experience something new, if the situation calls for it, is a great lesson and life.
Sometimes it actually it works.

Different poster here: FWIW I'm the exact opposite. I wouldn't even consider staying in the house. I'd google and/or Kayak a good hotel suite nearby and have a place with room service and wifi for a good night's sleep.
To each his/her own.

Poster to whom you responded, I would get a hotel room too!!
I want privacy and quiet, when I wanted it. I just think it is a dumb ass idea that little snowflake cannot be allowed to sleep on the floor or couch.
Really, I mean really????!!

[Anonymous]

You turn the master bedroom into guest room #2.

If you have more than one child's room, the larger bedroom turns into guest room #3.

Your immediate family makes do with whatever is left. Be grateful for your extended family and take an ambien if you need it to sleep comfortably on the floor.