ISABELLA WALKER-SMITH & MELISSA PENFOLD
Overheard
THE MOTHER-DAUGHTER DUO OFFERS GENERATIONAL TAKES ON HOME-LIFE DILEMMAS OVERHEARD FROM PERFECT STRANGERS. THIS MONTH: SHOULD WE SLEEP IN SEPARATE ROOMS?
Isabella:
A taboo but very much relevant conversation. I am but a babe in the woods when it comes to my marriage (four years married, thanks for asking), so I don’t pretend to have all the answers.
I am very much Team One Bed. I enjoy sharing sleeping quarters with my husband, but there are strict parameters. We have a California king-size bed, both wear earplugs and eye masks, and the room must be set to a strict 19 degrees. We take our sleep very seriously around here. Call me old fashioned but I don’t sleep very well when my husband is away for work. However, he has ‘awake energy’ in spades. He thinks out loud, he tosses, he’s on his phone. Apparently I have ‘awake energy’ too. Our solution? I go to bed two hours before him most nights and am mid-REM when he comes to bed. It’s not rocket science, but it works for us.