My two sons share a room. It's a big room with bunk beds, and as there's almost three years between them, most of the time it works quite well. I realise sooner or later they'll outgrow each other and need more of their own space, but for the time being the positives definitely outweigh the negatives.

Their older sister has her own room and so does their baby sister. I do have two spare rooms so it's their choice, but I'll admit I'm glad they share because I use one of the spare rooms as an office and it's nice to have the other for guests.

The main issues that come into play tend to be practical. There are fights over what night-time CD will be played. And it's hard to get them to have different bedtimes. If seven-year-old Hamish wants to stay up a bit later because he's older, James, four, usually responds with a minor meltdown.

Now that Hamish is getting more homework, he needs his room quiet so he can concentrate. Initially, getting James to respect this was challenging, but now he obliges willingly.

The big problem used to be when one had a friend over. The issue of the 'other sibling' emerged. They'd annoy to the point of extreme frustration and the entire exercise held no joy for anyone, least of all me, who would spend most of the day alternating between referee, counsellor or entertainer. We solved that issue with a family conference in which it was unanimously decided that siblings were definitely not allowed to impinge on each other's play dates, and it's now accepted.

The benefits are many. The most obvious being space. And containing the boys in one room means containing the havoc they wreak. But also they like it. They thrive on the companionship and they'll play in there for hours. Sometimes I'll hear high-pitched sounds coming from their room and, fearing screams and fighting, I'll walk in only to discover them cheering with joy as they race their cars around the track.

Lucia, nine, who's next door, does experience some envy. She sometimes feels scared sleeping alone and she talks about one day sharing with Sybella. She did spend a few nights in her baby sister's room, but it was short-lived as Sybella was still waking at night and the broken sleep was something Lucia was not too keen on.

I also figure learning to respect each other's personal space and privacy is a good thing. Sharing a room teaches them to negotiate and set their own boundaries. Whenever it gets too much, particularly during wet weather or school holidays, I'll think it's time for one to move. But when I ask them if they want to separate, they'll always reply no. Eventually, as they grow, it'll happen naturally. But for now, I think there's a lot to be said for sharing a room.

For more great parenting advice, check out the latest issue of New Idea - on sale now!