As the housing market and economy continue to flounder, families are turning to an option that was out of vogue during the McMansion age: having siblings share rooms.

    Globally, and historically, private bedrooms for siblings have been the exception, rather than the rule. Most children around the world share bedrooms with their siblings, and sometimes with their parents. But in the U.S., houses have grown larger in recent years, while family sizes have remained roughly steady at around 2 kids. In 1991, the average American home had 1,672 square feet and 53 percent had three or more bedrooms, according to the Washington Post, citing Census data. By 2007, it had grown to 1,789 square feet, and more than 60 percent had three or more bedrooms.

    But the trend toward each child having their own domain may be changing due to economic constraints. Growing families are getting priced out bigger homes, or are having trouble selling their existing places, so they're making do. In Manhattan, for instance, more families are cramming into one-bedroom apartments. From 2000 to 2006, there was a 31% jump in the number of white families and a 19% increase in African-American families with one or more children under the age of 6 living in one-bedroom apartments, reports the New York Times, using an analysis of Manhattan census data.

    When considering whether to have siblings share rooms, space constraints and finances play a major role. But it's also important to consider the sibling's ages, temperaments, genders and privacy concerns, child development experts say. If you have an infant who gets up frequently through the night and a 4-year-old who's a light sleeper, having them share rooms might lead to some pretty tired, cranky kids and parents. And while having boys and girls share rooms might be fine when they're toddlers, it might turn awkward when they get older and start to have different interests （like a 'princess phase' and a truck obsession） and when they become more aware of their different bodies.

    Growing up, my siblings and I had our own rooms. I've always been a very independent person who values my privacy and solitude and I've usually felt uncomfortable sharing space with roommates. （Moving in with my now-husband was a big learning curve.） Perhaps those traits are a result of my upbringing in my own room.

    But my son will most likely share a room, at least as a toddler, with his future siblings, because it will be tough for my family to afford a bigger house. I also like the idea of my kids sharing a room-I hope it will teach them cooperation and sharing. （Here are some tips for decorating and maximizing space for shared rooms.）

    Readers, what experiences have you had, either as a parent or child, with siblings sharing rooms? Has the economy had any effect on whether your kids will share rooms?

    隨著住房市場和整體經濟繼續萎靡，一些家庭開始轉向之前在豪宅時代已經過時的一種選擇：讓子女共用房間。

    無論是在全球范圍內，還是從歷史上看，孩子擁有單獨臥室的情況都不多見，并非普遍規律。世界上大多數孩子都是跟兄弟姊妹共用臥室，有時是跟自己的父母。但在美國，這些年來房子越造越大，而每個家庭的子女數量仍穩定在2個左右。據《華盛頓郵報》援引統計數字說，1991年，美國家庭住宅平均面積是1,672 平方英尺，有53%的家庭擁有三間或三間以上臥室。到2007年，平均面積上升到1,789平方英尺，臥室不少于三間的家庭比例達到60%.

    但是，由于經濟形勢窘迫，這種讓每個孩子擁有自己領地的潮流或許將發生改變。因為大房子價錢過高不敢問津，或者原有住房難以出手，越來越多的家庭只好將就。比如在曼哈頓，全家擠進只有一間臥室的公寓的家庭增多了。《紐約時報》根據對曼哈頓地區統計數字的分析說，2000-2006年間，有一個以上6歲以下子女、全家住在單臥室公寓的家庭數在增加，其中，此類白人家庭的增幅是31%,非洲裔美國家庭的增幅是19%.

    在考慮是否讓子女共用臥室時，空間限制和財力狀況是主要因素。但是兒童發育專家說，考慮子女的年齡、脾氣、性別和隱私也很重要。如果你有一個夜里經常哭鬧的小嬰兒，還有一個睡覺很輕的4歲孩子，那么，讓他們共處一室可能會讓孩子和父母都非常疲乏和暴躁。還有，在孩子都還在學步的年齡時，讓男孩和女孩住在一起或許沒什么問題，但當他們逐漸長大、開始有不同的興趣（比如女孩處于"公主時期",而男孩卻癡迷于卡車）,以及開始察覺到他們身體的差異時，再讓他們用一個臥室就會變得尷尬了。

    我和我的姊妹小時候都有自己的臥室。我一直是個非常獨立的人，很看重自己的隱私和獨處的機會，而且，跟室友共用房間的時候我總是感到很不自在。（跟我現在的丈夫搬到一起讓我花了很長時間才適應。）或許，這些特性是我成長過程中擁有自己單獨房間的結果。

    但是，我兒子將來很可能得跟他弟弟或者妹妹共用房間，至少在他學會走路之前，因為我們家要負擔比現在大的房子會很困難。其實我也喜歡讓孩子共用房間的想法，我希望，這能讓他們學會合作和分享。

    讀者諸君，不論是作為父母還是作為子女，你在共用房間方面有什么經歷？眼下的經濟形勢對你決定是否讓孩子們共用房間有什么影響嗎？