Home / News / Viral & Trending Are you a ‘bedroom parent’ or a ‘living room parent?’ This viral TikTok has the answer MaRoo927/TikTok "I DON'T hang out in my room. It's just a sleeping zone." By Cassandra Stone February 4, 2024 MaRoo927/TikTok Rectangle One amazing thing about TikTok is that it really shines a light on the human experience and reminds us that we’re all different, but share so many similarities. Like the latest “parenting style” question that’s going viral now: Are you a “bedroom parent” or a “living room parent?” For example, when you were growing up, where did your parents spend most of their time? Some millennials can relate to having parents who were always sequestered in their bedrooms away from us kids. Some remember their parents always being in the living spaces of the home. (Some of us had one bedroom parent and one “I’m going to escape the toxicity of this house by working constantly” parent, or maybe that’s just me!) TikTok mom Marissa Kile shared a video where she talked about the bedroom vs. living room parent thing—hers were strictly bedroom parents. They spent a lot of time in there decompressing, working, etc., and kids were NOT allowed in. Related: I couldn’t find a parenting style that defined me—so I gave up and came up with this one “I grew up where like my parents hung out in their bedroom,” she explains. “like 24/7, they were never in the living room, okay? So, like, going into my parents’ bedroom was like a sacred thing. Like, you stood at the door, and you waited for permission to go in, okay?” @maroo927 I DONT hang out in my room.. its just a sleeping zone. Anyone else? #sleepzone #donthangout #herdofkids #fyp #sahm #foryoupage #missouri ♬ original sound – MaRoo927 One of her followers responded that they didn’t know being a “bedroom parent” was a thing, because their parents spent most of their time in the main living area. Kile’s own husband says his parents were “living room parents,” which mystified her. “I didn’t know that living room parents were a thing until I was much older because my parents were bedroom parents, but also my best friend growing up, her parents were bedroom parents. Okay? So, I thought that was normal,” she says in a follow-up video. @maroo927 Replying to @Tiffany Vaught so funny you say that.. ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design She also says since she is now firmly a “living room parent,” she hasn’t decorated her own bedroom because it’s basically just a vessel for sleep and nothing else, as she’s never in there unless she’s going to bed. Related: Growing up without a father affected my parenting style “I would rather spend most of my time focused on everything else than the space that I don’t spend any time in because I literally wait until the last second to go to bed or like the special time with the husband and then I spent an extra time in my room,” she explains. @maroo927 Replying to @Laura ♬ Chopin Nocturne No. 2 Piano Mono – moshimo sound design For further clarification, the bedroom parents that are part of Gen X and the Boomers aren’t the same kind of “bedroom parents” millennial moms and dads are today. Before, the bedroom was off-limits and kids had to entertain themselves solo while their parents did whatever they wanted (or needed) to do in their sanctuary. Bedroom parents today are like “Yeah, we’re tired, let’s watch TV or read books in here together while we’re lying down comfortably instead of sitting on the couch.” So what kind of parent are you? A version of this article was published in August 2023. It has been updated. The latest Celebrity News Drew Barrymore shares vulnerable post revealing why she took away her tween daughter’s phone Viral & Trending This mom’s viral video explains why she’s ‘opting out’ of homework for her child Celebrity News Bindi Irwin gracefully handles the question of whether she plans to have more kids News Biden-Harris administration awards over $558 million toward maternal mental health