Do you have a “living room family”? TikTokers have made this term go viral, and even though it sounds odd at first, this phrase actually refers to something heartwarmingly sweet. A “living room family” is a family who enjoys hanging out in the living room together during their downtime. On the other hand, a “bedroom family” or “bedroom kid” refers to family who prefer to retreat to their own rooms at the end of the day.
TikToker @enigmatic_actuality7 shared a video with 2 million views talking about this concept, explaining that it “means that your child feels safe to be in the entire home.”
“I don’t know about you, but when I grew up, I very much was regulated to my room,” she continued. “My room and mostly outside was my safe place. I never felt like the entire home was my home. I did not bring my things out anywhere.”
Feeling like you have to subconsciously stay in your room as a kid is heartbreaking, so seeing your kids naturally not do this is incredible. Especially if you are a parent that is actively working to break generational trauma.
“The term ‘living room family’ has me so emotional,” the video was captioned. “As a cycle breaker that constantly worries if I’m doing the right thing, to have light shed on the proof that we all feel safe in our home is astounding and humbling. I am so grateful for this insight and so proud of all of us for making safe homes for our families!” Are you crying yet?
It’s impossible for me to walk through my house now without stepping on toys, tripping over books, and picking up random arts and crafts projects. My three kids (who are between 2 and 7) love gathering together in the living room for everything from coloring to watching movies. They also drag their toys from their rooms to play out there, even if they sometimes go to their separate corners to get a semblance of alone time. While this can be annoying — who wants their family area to look like a playroom all the time?! — it actually makes me feel emotional that this is something good.
Another TikToker named @alexxx1915 shared a video with 19.2 million likes, showing her kids hanging out together in the living room. “I just learned the term ‘living room family’ and I never understood why my kids never played in their rooms when I always did as a kid.”
“I sometimes get annoyed when my kids drag their toys out everyday but looking at it from this perspective makes me more thankful,” one person commented, which received 95,000 likes. Another person commented, “I’m so proud of all of us that gave our kids the living room family we didn’t have. We won guys!” which received 124.3k likes.
The kitchen may be the heart of the home, but where is the joy in the home? Does your family gather in the living room or does everyone disperse to their own bedrooms in their downtime because they don’t feel safe to be in the family room with their parents? Family time has some serious health and wellness benefits for your kids, and encouraging your kids to bring their stuff to the living room and hang out together is an easy way to get more quality time in. Even if it creates more mess, it’s totally worth it.
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