We gave up our bedroom to our kids and now sleep in the living room I didnt want them to resent me

A couple gave up their bedroom so their kids could have their own space – and now sleep in their living room.Paige Boakes, 29, and her husband, Ashley, 28, decided to give up their bedroom to give their children – daughters, aged seven and 11, and sons, aged three and seven – their own space.The couple moved into the living room in their two-bedroom house in March 2024 and spent seven months on a king-size air bed.Paige and Ashley, a binman, prioritized renovating the two bedrooms for the kids but have now invested in a pull-out bed for themselves.Paige, a stay-at-home-mum, from Bexley, Kent, said: “I felt guilty they were all crammed in one room.“You always feel guilty as a parent.“I didn’t want them to resent me.“I have always prioritized them.You get on with it as a mum.”Paige was a single mum to her two girls – aged seven and 11 – before she met Ashley.The couple had their son, Teddy, three, together and Ashely has a son, seven, from a previous marriage.With three to four children in the house at one time, the kids were getting squashed in one room.Paige said: “My eldest turned 11 – it’s a time of puberty.“I didn’t think it was appropriate them sharing.“It’s quite a little room.“My son is three now and going on a bigger bed and we didn’t have room for him.“I decided I was going to start the boys room and take our bedroom.”Paige and Ashley originally slept on the sofa but then found a king-size blow-up bed to put in the living room.The pair redecorated the rooms so their two boys and two girls have separate spaces.Paige said: “They loved it – the girls have always wanted their own desk.“My eldest wanted a desk and a whiteboard and my other daughter has got a dressing table.“The boys have got toy boxes.“It’s comfy and cozy.”Paige renovated the rooms on a budget over the last seven months – spending $250 on new mattresses and $125 on the boys’ bed from Facebook Marketplace.The couple refurbished the gir...