Sophomore Sagrika Jawaki is one of many Aragon students who has shared a bedroom with a sibling. In fact, she remembers a frustrating moment with her eight-year-old sister. “Once my sister had a playdate with her friends in our room. They tried to do their nails and they spilt nail polish everywhere,” she says.
In many cases, having one’s personal space allows students to work and think clearly without outside distraction.
Sophomore Arya Natarajan has her own room. She says, “It depends on the day, really. Sometimes I’ll be totally isolated and able to do my work. But other times I’ll be distracted, mainly because I distract myself. It’s not like anyone comes in and bugs me. Actually, it’s kinda nice having my own space.”
Sophomore Isaiah Martin, an identical twin, says, “My twin and I shared a room when we were a lot younger when we didn’t really have the need for independence like we do now. We live together. I don’t think sharing a room has affected our relationship that much. I guess it helped me learn how to share things.”
Nevertheless, teens who share rooms with siblings must also share space. For some students, sharing space with a sibling can be frustrating. Specifically, for sophomore Shirin Amini, sharing a room with her younger sister means having the responsibility of looking after her while balancing her own schoolwork.
“If I had my own room, I would be a lot more independent and a lot less restrained. I wouldn’t have to watch her TV shows, listen to her talk on the phone, clean up her mess constantly and listen to her scream as I try to do my homework or read,” Amini says.
For others, sharing a room allows siblings to develop an emotional connection with each other. Freshman Eliana Grant, for example, enjoys her sister’s company. She says, “I would be lonely and sad if I didn’t share a room. Without my sister, I’m like what am I supposed to do now? Sharing a room with my sibling makes me become closer with her.”
Amini, on the other hand, has a different perspective.
“Actually, I think our relationship would be a lot better if we did not share a room,” says Amini. I am fighting with her constantly, and I can’t stand being in the same room with her for more than a few minutes,” she says.
However, some siblings are very different from each other. This can make room sharing more complicated.
“Our personalities our different,” says Amini. “Shes messy and I’m a lot more clean. If I had my own room, I wouldn’t have to consult her if I wanted to do something with our room.”
Sophomore Tara Arcia says that room sharing allows siblings to balance their individual personalities. She says, “In the end, I think the room sharing helps us figure out how to neutralize each other’s personalities in a way. I don’t think we have either similar or polar opposite personalities. We just make it so that we don’t kill or hate each other while sharing space.”
