Little Houses

My family of six lives in a 1200 square foot, 3 bedroom, 2 bath home with no basement and very little storage space.  All four kids share one bedroom.  This would never have been my ideal.  Had we had a larger home, each of us would have our own rooms; our own space to put things and to escape from everyone else.  That is not however, how things have turned out here.  Last fall, I moved Baby Girl in with her brothers and converted the third bedroom into a schoolroom.  I love the results.  The kids giggle with each other at night, playing with flashlights and glow-in-the-dark toys way past bedtime.  They share with each other and don't think twice about their siblings playing with "their" toys. We've created a community where sharing is the expected norm and stuff matters less than people.  Sure, we have our moments and things may have to change as the kids get older, but for right now it's like the Doug Stone song says,

"But you know, love grows best in little houses 

With fewer walls to separate

Where you eat and sleep so close together.

You can't help but communicate,

Oh, and if we had more room between us, 

think of all we'd miss.

Love grows best, in houses just like this."