When I was younger going back and forth from my mom’s house to my dad’s, I spent every other weekend camped out on a couch in dad’s living room. I didn’t have my own room at dad’s house, and it never occurred to me to be upset about it. That’s just the way it was – dad’s house in those earlier years wasn’t big enough to for my brother and I to have rooms of our own every other weekend. And that was fine with me. Even in retrospect, I don’t think I minded the situation as it was.

From what I’ve heard though – that would be totally unacceptable these days. We have always had a room for my stepson in our home. He’s always had his own space in our house to make him  feel more at home rather than a guest during his time with us. There have been times over the years where our living space required some creative thinking to ensure that he had his own space, but we have always found a way to make it work.

My stepson has his own room. A bed of his own (and not just a spot on the couch!). A closet with his own clothes. Sheets that are just for him alone (and not just because my daughters don’t like Batman). I’ve added a cool applique to his wall that has a baseball motif. He picked the paint color of his walls. These are ways we have found to help him personalize his own space. What ways have you found to personalize your child or stepchild’s space in your home?

Photo credit: Juria Yoshikawa on Flickr