We gave up our bedroom to our kids and now sleep in the living room — I didn’t 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 girls’ bed themselves to make a storage space for their clothes.

Paige shared the renovations and her living situation on TikTok but was pleasantly surprised by how many others were in the same boat.

She said: “I felt embarrassed I couldn’t afford to give everyone a room.

“It’s nice to know we’re not the only ones.

“You give it up for them to have their space.

“You have no space but you focus on them.”