When I was young, I was constantly rearranging my room, changing the direction of my bed, moving around my desk and building forts. I remember watching TV sitcom Silver Spoons and was always jealous of Ricky Schroeder’s car bed, to say nothing of the train that ran through his living room. My bed, as neat as it was—a captain’s bed with built-in drawers—wasn’t quite as cool.

When you’re a kid, your bedroom is Shangri-La, the one and only place where you can express your burgeoning tastes and lifestyle, no matter how ill-conceived they might be. Parents only have a short window of time to decorate their kids’ bedrooms; as soon as they reach double-digit tweendom, their bedrooms become closed-door fortresses smothered in pop posters and sports stars. Or worse.

In the meantime, before your kids round the teens, there are lots of great bedroom design themes and fixtures that are way cooler than anything Ricky Schroeder ever had.

As a general rule, stick to a single theme, such as superheroes, animals or fantasies such as princesses. Just remember, you’re decorating for your child, not to your own taste or needs.