Every family is different, and in the age of social media, we are introduced to millions of people's lifestyles daily. When people open up about what happens in their homes, they also open themselves to public opinion. If we have learned anything in the last several years, everyone has an opinion and they aren't afraid to scream it from the mountaintops.
The Deal Family posts about their life on TikTok and recently shared their sleeping arrangement with their 2.5 million followers. Guess what? People had thoughts, but the Deals don't care and have no plans to change what works for them.
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The family of four is close.
In the video, Brandon Deal explains that he and his wife, Meagan, share their king-sized bed with their 6-year-old daughter, Sarah Grace. They also have a twin-sized bed at the foot of their bed that their 12-year-old daughter, McKenzi, sleeps on. She is deaf, and when her dad asks why she sleeps there, she says, "It just feels a little safer."
Brandon says that he's not sure what will happen when his younger daughter gets too big to be in bed with him and his wife. "We'll figure that out when we get there."
The Deals are very open about their sleeping arrangements.
The newest co-sleeping video has 5.2 million views, but it isn't the first time the family has talked about co-sleeping. They have posted other videos about their arrangement, and things have changed.
When Brandon initially introduced TikTok to their co-sleeping situation, all four family members and one of the family's dogs slept in the king bed. The foot of the bed was home to a second dog's cage. But as the girls have grown bigger, they've adjusted.
Co-sleeping evidently is less common around the country than the Deals thought.
Brandon and Meagan recently told Insider they were surprised when their co-sleeping videos went viral and other families weren't doing the same thing as their family.
"I think Southern parenting is just completely different than Northern parenting," Brandon told the news outlet. He explained that he and Meagan both grew up in co-sleeping homes, so it was natural their daughters would share a room with them.
According to Meagan, "I always thought that kids just did that because all of my friends slept with their parents off and on." She added it wasn't every night.
Brandon told Insider that McKenzi doesn't want to be alone. "She tells us now at nighttime, she already can't hear. She doesn't want to be able to not hear or not see anybody," he said.
Some people like the family's arrangement.
Plenty of co-sleeping families understood and appreciated the Deals' bedroom.
"We're not a co-sleeping family except for the baby years, but never turned down our kids if they needed us at night," someone commented.
Lots of others have done it as well.
One person wrote, "Co sleeping on and off through childhood years, both kids managed to go off to college successfully on their own thousands of miles away."
Another TikToker pointed out that co-sleeping isn't exactly new.
"For the entire history of humanity families have slept in the same room, save for the last 70 odd years. I truly think Co-sleeping is epigenetic," the person wrote.
Other co-sleepers loved seeing families like their own.
"love it!! we are also from Alabama and do the same with our children. 7 and 4 when they want to sleep with us they sleep with us and when they do not!" a comment reads.
"Honestly that is so wholesome. I used to sleep with my parents and it made me feel so safe," someone shared.
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But co-sleeping isn't for everyone.
Not all parents want their kids in bed with them. That's OK, too.
Someone wrote, "We had a rule.Unless there was blood,fire or puke,the kids stay OUT of our room."
There were also the judgy types. "The lack of boundaries is WILD!!!" one comment reads.
There were a lot of comments about the couple's sex life and how all of that works with everyone in the same room.
"How does this affect intimacy between parents? Do you kick the kids out so they know exactly what's happening?" someone questioned?
"OK so what you do when you want to get it on? " another person echoed.
Someone admitted, "Could never be me. Me and my boo need some privacy adult time ifyaknowwhatimean"
Just like every other parent in the world, Brandon and Meagan are just trying to make things work for their kids and love them, and for them, that means co-sleeping.
We say, good for you. If everyone gets a good night's sleep and is happy, who are we to judge?
