August 10, 2011

The One with the Double Bed

Just last week I came across this post by Lisa-Jo at The Gypsy Mama. She compares and contrasts the double or queen sized marriage bed to that of the king sized, which she and her husband are most used to. The comments on this post are quite entertaining as well, with people telling tales of couples happily sharing a twin bed to those pairs who can't seem to imagine life without the spacious king sized mattress. 

First of all, I can totally understand the need for a king sized bed if you and/or your spouse are above or beyond the six foot marker. I cannot imagine what life would be like towering above the clouds with such height, but I can only assume that having your feet hang over the end of a small bed would just not be enjoyable.

But for those of us "average" length folk (you might even say we're on the shorter end of our kind at 5'4" and 5"10"), this subject of marriage-bed-size is another matter entirely. Some people are big snugglers. Some sweat through the night and can't stand touching another furnace-like body. Some have curious sleep habits, needing the sheets pulled up just-so or maybe they are "nesters" and form a cocoon of sheets around themselves at night. Whatever your situation, the final decision of double, queen or king sized bed is completely up to you and your spouse. 

For Kevin and I, the choice has always been the queen. We bought our own mattress and box springs at Sam's Club a day after we returned home from our honeymoon, and we never looked back. The size is just right. Small enough that I can touch his foot with mine during the night without having to go on a search and rescue mission; large enough that he can roll me away from him when I slip into my REM cycle and my body temperature sky rockets. Yes, he pulls the Ross "Hug and Roll." 

But all that changed last Monday when we moved into our new house. We had a long assembly line of church friends carrying in box after box, until suddenly the line stopped moving. What was going on inside? Our queen sized bed was no-way, no-how going to fit up the staircase to the room we had chosen to be our own. What to do? what. to. do. At that moment, we said to leave those pieces of our marriage bed in the first floor bedroom. We would decide later. 

Later came all too quickly, as putting together our bed was going to be a priority. (My mom always told me to make my bed first whenever we move. That way, you can actually collapse into bed when you're exhausted rather than trying to gain energy to put sheets on it. Smart woman, my momma.) Because I was in love with the headboard from the double bed my grandma had given us a year ago, I decided it might not be a bad thing to try out the double bed scenario. It would work for a while, right? 

YES. YES. and yes. We are really loving our double bed. I used to think they were impossibly small with no room to escape the touch of another's body. And yes, they are small. But we've found it to be just right for our sleeping habits. I get to snuggle and spoon to my heart's content, but he can still roll away (or roll me away) when I get too warm. Perfect. :)

So there you have it. We've officially become double-bed-marriage-bed-mates

What size bed are you attached to?

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3 comments:

  1. It doesn't seem to matter what size Daddy and I sleep in, because I wind up on the edge and Dad is making me sweat with his built in heater. That is where you inherited that furnace type quality:)

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  2. I do believe that my bed is a double bed and I love it! I agree, I can find his foot in the middle of the night, but we each have room for our own space...

    Soo I read your mom's comment before I read who wrote it and I was very concerned....

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  3. well, seeing as i share my sleeping quarters with a man of the "head in the clouds" variety, we're king-sized bed sleepers all the way! - Caitlin

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