I live in 2-bed council house with my 5 kids – trolls say they ‘feel sorry for our children’ & ask why we ‘had so many’
A MUM has shared how she and her partner fit their five kids in a two-bedroom council home.
Lauren shared how people are always getting confused at their sleeping arrangements so wanted to clear up the savvy way they’ve made it work for them.
On her @laurenamyt account she shared: “We are a family of seven living in a two-bedroom council home.
“People ask where I sleep and why our youngest has her own bedroom while the others don’t. So, I'm gonna explain.”
First she showed the box room which is where her son and stepson - both aged 11 - sleep in bunk beds.
Lauren panned around the football-themed room saying: “Does anyone else hate bunk beds as much as I do?
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“Changing the bedding on the top bunk is my least favorite job to do in the whole house.
“Also, I need to get something to display all the Lego because it gets so dusty just being left out.”
The mum-of-seven then showed how they have a bathroom and a “massive” main bedroom.
The family cleverly made the most out of the space by adding a stud wall inside the master bedroom to split it into two.
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She continued: “If our girls were closer in age, we probably would just have one big girls' bedroom, and they would still have loads of space.
“In this half of the bedroom, we've got our two older girls, who are both nine—my daughter and stepdaughter.”
Defending the large amount of teddies on the bunk beds, she said: “Yes, they've got lots of teddies.
“No, I'm not making them get rid of any. I am planning to do a bit of reorganization here because it desperately needs it.
“Considering that they're both nine, I'm completely fine with them having a bedroom full of toys because I'm sure the day is coming when they won’t want to play with them anymore anyway.”
Lauren showed how the wall that her partner put up with his friend, and said it had gone up four years ago when they had their youngest child.
Initially the mum and her partner had slept in the newly created room with the baby, but now she’s a bit older she has it all to herself.
Lauren explained: “I think it just makes more sense for her to have the room rather than picking one of the 11-year-olds, leaving the other one to share with his sisters.
“Also, she's a terrible sleeper.
“I remember thinking when I first moved in that this bedroom was way too big.
“It would make more sense for this bedroom to be a bit smaller and the other one to be a bit bigger.
“But it did work out in our favour because there's a window on either side.
“We've ended up with three decent-sized bedrooms, really.”
We're saving to buy a bigger house, which will hopefully be in the next year or so
Lauren
Finally she explained where she sleeps with her partner.
She added: “If you're wondering where we sleep, this is our living room.
“We've been sleeping downstairs for just over a year now, and while I cannot wait to move and get our bedroom back, the space we've gained upstairs for the kids has been so worth it.
“So, yeah, hopefully, that has cleared things up for everyone who was confused.”
What It's Really Like Growing Up On A Council Estate
Fabulous reporter, Leanne Hall, recalls what it's like growing up in social housing.
As someone who grew up in a block of flats on a council estate, there are many wild stories I could tell.
From seeing a neighbour throw dog poo at the caretaker for asking them to mow their lawn (best believe they ended up on the Jeremy Kyle show later in life) to blazing rows over packages going missing, I've seen it all.
While there were many times things kicked off, I really do believe most of the time it's because families living on council estates get to know each other so well, they forget they're neighbours and not family.
Yes, things can go from zero to 100 quickly, but you know no matter what you can rely on your neighbour to borrow some milk or watch all of the kids playing outside.
And if you ask me, it's much nicer being in a tight community where boundaries can get crossed than never even knowing your neighbour's name while living on a fancy street.
She added that the sleeping arrangement is just temporary, and said: “We're saving to buy a bigger house, which will hopefully be in the next year or so.”
People were quick to comment, with one saying: “Well done for using social housing as a stepping stone for saving for a home deposit.”
Another added: “Great job organising your space.”
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One troll asked her why she had so many kids, and she said three were her own, and the other two were stepkids.