Kid's Rooms and the Psychology of Color

Beautifully said!

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Olivia is caught in the 17th century and needed someone to control aside from her husband (who was probably smart enough to leave or cheat on her by now) so she decided to have kids. Anyone to lay down HER law to. Don't get upset everybody, you can all take pride in the fact that your better parents than she. I see how many people are really agitated with this control freak as someone so elequently stated! We all want our kids to be individual, and their bedroom is just that ....THEIRS. Until they leave the nest, they should have control of at least their own surroundings (provided they are safe OBVIOUSLY) when it comes to pain, lighten up, they will have to live with the decision they make. Some people were not raised right themselves and feel they need to control their kids the same way they were controlled growing up....a lot of good it did her right?

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When I was growing up my parents cut a deal with us that if we moved without a fuss we could choose the colors of our new house's bedrooms. Not surprisingly all of us chose something other than pale pastels or white. The son's[mine] was called Cerulean blue"-the brightest blue I could find, my eldest sister's was fire engine red, the middle one's as I recall was hot pink, and my littlest sister's was deep lavender and so far as our grades went, in all cases they improved, & in no case were any of us more or less active than before, and the basic lesson I learned is if someone is more contented with one's surroundings one tends to be calmer and happier. One friend later on even had her room basic black and it did not seem to harm her. I think the parnets have a right to color rooms as best they feel inclined, but unless one is a constant flipper or has imminent expectations of moving, I think letting them enjoy the colors of their rooms gives them some sense of control over their surroundings and higher self-confidence. Also if the hot pink disturbs one...you can always call it "Polish Crimson" :)

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Olivia's Children must hate Her. Maybe She needs a lilac room to calm Her down!

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I agree with Olivia. Children these days are so pampered and spoiled. Parents do a disservice to give kids whatever they desire at the time since this is NOT the way the real world operates and our jobs as parents are to start to try to prepare children for life in the real world as adults. We will not always be there to coddle them so they must realize--at some point-- that their decisions have consequences, even decisions as simple as choosing a color for their bedroom. We are raising a generation of discontents who don't accept responsibility for their actions.

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Our 7-year-old granddaughter, who is a highly functioning autistic, recently asked us to paint her room "purple". Her room, which is her safe haven, was previously painted in a very calming "ice" pink, which served her well for the first 7 years. People are wrong when they claim colors don't matter in behavior, etc. Anyone who has had experience with an autistic child, or ADD children, can tell you that their senses are heightened, and many things, from colors, to noises, and even touches and textures can calm them or upset them. This is one reason why schools who teach autistic or behaviorally challenged children have what is called a "sensory" room, where a child can spend some time when needed, to calm down, regroup and get in touch with himself/herself. These rooms are designed to calm, NOT stimulate. Bedrooms are bedrooms, a place to go to sleep, think, regroup. A playroom might be a more suitable place for the more vivid and stimulating colors. Children need help in learning control, and want and desire it. When a child is acting the least "loving" is when they need "loving" the most. Since they look to parents to help them achieve control, it is my humble opinion that all children need a calm, quiet haven to retreat to. Even my granddaughter has the sensibility to retreat to her room, turn off the lights, and shut the door when she has been overstimulated. She showed us that she knew this about herself several years ago. Ultimately, we conceded to her wish for her "purple" room, which is a very calming blue/purple so as not to be overstimulating, as the environment she needs and craves is a "sensory room". I think people go overboard in giving "rights" to their kids just so they can "keep up with the Jones's". I think parents need to really know their child's needs and consider what a bedroom is supposed to be. And it goes without saying, that having the stimulation of a TV in a young child's bedroom is a real "no-no". Kids are over-stimulated in our world far too much. Just my humble opinion based on the experiences of a Mom and Grandma. (my daughter has a disability, and even in her mid twenties, the bedroom is her safe haven when her anxieties are raging). Much to be said on the subject.

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When I hit high school my mom let me paint my room and the base color on the ceiling was black.My room was in the attic so the ceiling had three parts to it.On one side of the ceiling my brothers and I painted Pink Floyds dark side of the moon alblum cover exactly from my room into their's(?).Then on the other I painted a spiral rainbow pattern on top with it's mirror image on the bottem.On the wall the door was in I painted the Kiss army emblem about eight feet tall by three and a half wide with the wall color being a deep blue.On my door I painted Rush's graphic from the bass drum.This was from the winter of 78 when we was snowed in for a month and didn't get painted over till this year when she moved because(even her) it was a great place to sit and relax(turned into a sitting room when us boys left) when we would visit.The gloss bright colors against the flat black beleive it or not was very calming.

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As a teacher with students who have in the past had ADHD problems and as a mother with an ADHD child, I think color plays a role in how a person behaves. I think that role is limited though. My son responds to blue. The true color blue like out of a crayon box. He does not get hyper but actually calms down. Now he wasn't always like that. He would respond to green in the same way. Yellow, he says hurts his eyes and makes him tense. I can't paint his room, I rent. So instead I let him help me pick out the decoration for his room. He chose blue for just about everything with gray accents. He loves it. My oldest son chose black and gray for his bed colors. Now this is from a boy who loved bright colors.
I took the same approach with my classroom. I chose the deeper shades of color for my curtains and the art is of a nature theme. All of my kids love it. They tell me they feel better in a room where all the colors are present but not overly done. They will change their minds because that is only natural. In fact they usually ask that I change the background paper for a bulletin board to a color I never would have put up but it is part of their environment and they learn best when they contribute. I am not giving in to either of my kids or my students. They know the limitations and they know when the adult has the final say. I think it is all about being the adult and choosing your battles wisely.

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We recently moved and painted every room in the house prior to moving in. My 13 yr old daughter's room is black and purple...one wall black (half of it chalkboard paint), two walls purple and one wall striped. The windows are painted the opposite color of the wall they are on and the door is painted purple with black panels. The purple wall without the window has the My Chemical Romance logo with music notes on it. It may sound odd...but everyone that has seen it really loves it. My 12 yr old son's room is Mets themed. It is bright "Mets" blue with orange trim and door and we painted his dresser orange as well. He has a baseball light and a baseball chair/ottoman set. The rest of the house is painted mostly in pastels except the kitchen. I think they deserve at least one room in the house that is "theirs" that they can enjoy to themselves.

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