This unconventional sleeping arrangement would surely be a nightmare for some.
A mom is raising eyebrows after admitting she shares a bed with her 10-year-old daughter and 12-year-old son.
Bernie Watkins, 49, says she’s unashamed of her family’s unorthodox habit and believes it’s the reason why she shares such a close bond with her kids, Frankie and Caden.
“We’re a very close cuddly family so it’s perfect for us — and getting into bed at night is a lovely part of our days,” the single mama told Southwest News Service. “People told me they [the kids] would grow up to be clingy and dependent if we kept sharing but they’re the total opposite.”
Each night, the clan cozies up together on a king-size bed frame that features one full mattress and one twin mattress pushed together side-by-side.
There, the family “light candles, play relaxing music and have discussions with no taboo subjects” before they drift off into a blissful sleep.
Co-sleeping has been a hotly debated topic amongst parents, with doctors warning that sleeping with infants can lead to suffocation. However, an increasing number of parents swear by it, and adamantly defend the controversial practice.
Watkins first started sleeping in the same bed as her children when they were babies, saying: “For me it felt wrong to take a tiny baby and leave them in another room alone. I was always set on co-sleeping from birth.”
Watkins and her two tweens now reside in Grenada, Spain, but the mom-of-two says she still faces judgment from people back in her native England when she tells them she cuddles up with her kids every night.
“I can understand why people say it’s weird because in England it’s not the norm,” she admitted. “I guess everyone is entitled to their own opinion…. [but] I wish other people wouldn’t make comments or put barriers up around co-sleeping. People make an automatic judgment.”
Watkins isn’t worried about her children wanting their own sleeping space as they get older, saying she believes they will “never want to give up” bunking down with their mom.
“I believe it’s important to have that contact. It’s really understated but it means a lot to us,” she cooed, claiming it feels like “the most normal thing in the world.”
And while Watkins may have raised eyebrows, she isn’t the only parent to speak out about co-sleeping with her growing children.
In July, parents Paul and Charlotte Lewis publicly defended sleeping with their 8-year-old daughter Izzie and 4-year-old son Harvey every night.
“Haters are going to hate, but sleepers are going to sleep!” the defiant couple declared at the time.
Meanwhile, actress Alicia Silverstone, 45, recently brought the co-sleeping parenting debate into the headlines again after admitting that she shares a bed with her 11-year-old son, Bear, every night.
The “Clueless” star was similarly defiant about the unusual arrangement, clapping back at critics by proclaiming: “I don’t really care [what they think].”