Search Results for: blog teenagers and their bedrooms

The State of Children’s Bedrooms

On most days you can walk through my house and it’s in order, neat and clean. But then open the door to any one of my three children’s bedrooms and you will see a drastic difference. Last weekend my 12-year-old son had a friend sleep over. We had him from Friday through Sunday. When he first saw the state of my son’s bedroom he said, “Wow, my mom would never allow my room to look like this.” Well, at one time I wouldn’t have either but I have since changed my ways…or perhaps I have just raised the red flag … Continue reading →

Video Interview with a Sleep Doctor and Mom

Recently I was invited to ask a women’s health expert, Dr. Donnica, some questions about sleep habits. She put together a terrific video that I hope you will watch. What I appreciated about this opportunity was the ability to ask questions specific to moms of teenagers. When our children are very young, there is a lot of focus on how moms lose sleep. But it doesn’t always get better when our children become teens. In addition, teens have their own sleep issues that can interfere with their daily lives so I thought this was a great way to get some … Continue reading →

Teenagers and Their Bedrooms

Yesterday I decided to take advantage of my son not being home. This was my chance to get in his room and do some deep cleaning. Let’s face it, his way of cleaning and my way of cleaning are definitely not the same. There was so much dust on his furniture that I actually had to vacuum it before I could apply the spray. By the time it was over with, the cloth towel that I used was black. Gross. Then there were lots of empty containers, kitchen utensils and two loads worth of dirty clothes. I thought it was … Continue reading →

The Teenager and the Blended Family

Blended families can be complicated, and they definitely take some getting used to. It is normal to have growing pains. Some of the most difficult struggles a blended family can face is when there is a teenager involved. Not all teenagers are difficult, it is just a difficult age and sometimes that in itself can cause conflict in an already sticky situation. A teenager who is entering a blended family might be defensive, angry and defiant. While normal teenagers in any family can be this way, it can be escalated in a blended family. Teenagers need a little special handling … Continue reading →

Teaching Teenagers To Be Sexually Abstinent

In today’s society immorality is common. About 60% of teens in the United States are sexually active. About 34% of teenage girls become pregnant. Only half of these girls will graduate from high school. Each year 25 million teens–about 25%–are infected with a STD. According to the book, Sex Love and You, teens that engage in premarital sex are likely to experience fear about pregnancy and STDs, regret, guilt, lowered self-respect, fear of commitment, and depression. As a mother of two daughters and a son I find these statistics terrifying. A study completed by Zogby in 2003 found that 79% … Continue reading →

Internet Safety – The good, the bad, and the ugly

What are your children looking at, listening to, and reading while on the Internet? The Internet has become a source of almost endless information and resources. There are great uses for the Internet. For example, comparing electronic equipment online before buying is something that I almost always do. Also, students can use online encyclopedias for writing research reports. It’s hard to think of a time when we didn’t have such quick and easy access to almost endless types of information. Just think of the great information you are receiving on www.families.com because of the Internet! Of course, there are opposites … Continue reading →

Readjusting Teen’s Sleep for the Start of School

Welcome back to reality…the days of sleeping in are over and let me tell you, this is not easy for teenagers. To make matters worse, where the high school used to start at 7:40 a.m., it is now starting at 7:30 a.m. Yes, those 10 minutes really do make a difference to a teen. I remember when my children were younger it was much easier to get them adjusted back to school hours. I put them to bed earlier and woke them up earlier. Now I don’t have the luxury of putting my children to bed. Sure, I can tell … Continue reading →

Should Teens Be Allowed to Sleep in Late during Summer?

Don’t you love when you give a command or tell your child they have to do something and after they ask why, you don’t have an answer? I have discovered that oftentimes I make decisions as a parent without really thinking it through. That was a recent issue here in my home as I told my teens before school let out that they weren’t going to be staying up all night and sleeping in until noon the next day. Not much was said until summer break started. The first few days I would wake my kids up by 9 a.m. … Continue reading →

A Teen’s Need for Privacy

The need for privacy can be a challenge for some parents of teens. There may be a fear that it will open the door to something negative. Or it may be that the parent feels rejected and takes it personally. Privacy is sometimes looked at as a bad thing and parents may question, “Why do they want to be alone so much?” But it is really a natural part of the maturing process and a reprieve from what can be a very difficult world. Don’t you ever sometimes just want to be alone? Even as an adult we have those … Continue reading →

No More Little Girl

My 8th grade daughter has been working on transforming her room this past week. We let her pick out her own paint and come up with her own ideas. We are also letting her do the work. That is actually to our benefit (smile). However we told her that once she picks colors, it will stay that way until she moves out. So she had to be absolutely positive this was what she wanted. She picked out a very deep purple. It’s quite dark and a stark contrast from the first color of her room, pink. Her trim was always … Continue reading →