Bedroom Feng Shui?

Here's a question for you parents out there, and this time it's just for straight couples. (I'll try to come up with a different question for gay couples or single parents next time.) Does Mama or Daddy sleep on the side of the bed nearest the door that sick/scared/sad/bored kids are likely to enter in the middle of the night? I'm putting my money on a 90% response rate for Mama. How does this happen? Is this something that men are told by their dads on their wedding night? "Son, I want to leave you with one last important piece of advice: Hi-hosey the far side of the bed from the get-go, even before you have kids. You'll thank me for this later." The strange thing is, even when we go up to New Hampshire, I'm still on the door side, even though that means I'm on the opposite side of the bed than when we're home! What this all comes down to, of course, is that I'm the first—and, often, only—one to hear about the wet bed, the tummy ache, the itchy mosquito bite, the out-of-the blue questions, and so on. One night I was coming in kind of late from book group, and Andy was already in bed. Pete was at the top of the stairs crying because he couldn't find me. I said, "Why didn't you wake Daddy?" He wailed, "I couldn't find him!" Hey, I know a king-size bed is big, but sheesh! It would never in a million years have occurred to Pete to walk all the way around (or crawl across) the bed to see if Daddy was way over there.

Comments

[Master Foley]

I believe my father has always slept closest to the door. And would always crawl into my bed when I'm scared.

[Lizt]

My husband also sleeps on the door-side of the bed for two reasons:

#1 He does nightmare patrol for our four kids.
#2 Fends off any would-be attacker so I can escape with kids.

[Melanie]

Well, I used to sleep on the side closest to the door in the previous two places we've lived, but now I am on the side farthest from the door. Reasoning? It is still the right side of the bed (when facing bed), but the bed's room position has changed.

I'm always the one to wake up for nightmares, wet beds, sickness, etc. though. It's my (ahem) well-trained ear.

[Christine]

Interesting theory! In this case, I'm on the far side of the bed. This is so that any boogy-man who enters has to go through hubby first. It doesn't work to my advantage in the kid department, though. They know where to find me, and walk across the room and around the bed to wake me up.

[Jason]

In our house which side of the bed is closer to the door doesn't matter. I always sleep on the right-hand side of the bed. My wife always sleeps on the left-hand side of the bed. (That's if you're looking toward the headboard.)

[Margaret]

My husband sleeps on the left and I sleep on the right. In our old house, I was closest, but in this house he is. However, he can sleep through anything so I am already wide awake and dealing with the situation.

[pam]

Can't help you! When we were childless, he slept on the door side, to fend off attackers. We got used to our respective sides. New house, new kid, and the door side wound up being on my side of the bed. So it really didn't have to do with my being the mommy. Besides, if I don't feel like being the one to get up and attend to our daughter, I make the daddy go. :-)

[Lisa]

I do sleep on the door side but the kids more often have gone to J. because he's more of a pushover than I when if comes to being disturbed in the middle of the night. In the past, someone has crawled into bed (on his side) and I haven't even known till morning.

[Mquest]

I sleep on the right side of the bed. Always the right side. The way the bed is currently set up I am closest to the door. We rearranged the bed a few days before we brought home the baby and I ended up by the door. My son is still in a crib but I will bet good money that he will walk to my wife's side of the bed in the middle of the night. I think I will call my dad and ask him why he did not give me this advice.

[votermom]

When you open the door to our bedroom, you face the foot of our bed. Therefore, IN THEORY, either parent has an equal chance of being the recipient of wee night time visitors. However, in practice, my daughter will go to my side. Every. Single. Time. It doesn't even matter if my hubby & I swap sides. She knows.

[leon]

Hello, this might be slightly off topic, but I cant work out that I have a super king size bed, I live alone, and I only sleep on the very edge, closest to my bedroom door, and dont even come close to the middle off the bed or the other side.....It is funny using that little space in my bed.......why is this?