Search Results for: blog why wont my teens go to sleep

How to Help Your Kids Fall Asleep

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Sleep is important. We all know what it feels like to have to get up and start the day after not having enough sleep. Before parents can turn in for the night they need to make sure their children are asleep. What can you do if your child is resisting bedtime or getting up at night? Here are some ideas that could help your kids to fall asleep. How much sleep do kids really need? The National Sleep Foundation has some recommendations that are based upon the age of the person. Adults need less sleep than children and babies do. … Continue reading →

AAP Recommends Some Schools Start Later

Having trouble getting your teenager to get up and prepare for school in the morning? There is a reason why that it happening – and it isn’t entirely your teen’s fault. Some of it has to do with developmental biology. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) is recommending that the start time of the school day be later for middle schools and high schools. The purpose is to combat sleep deprivation in teens. The AAP published a new policy statement in August of 2014. They are recommending that schools delay the start time of class until 8:30 in the morning … Continue reading →

Giving Kids a Little Help Getting to Sleep

I am having alternate feelings of success and guilt today. My baby finally slept through the night. She did have a little help though in the form of chamomile tea. I had better clarify that my baby is 13 years old. To date, she has never had a good night’s sleep. She has had chiropractic care that helped a little, but mostly I have spent the last 13 years trying to force her into bed at night, and trying to get up up in the morning just a few short hours after she finally fell to sleep. Because we homeschool, … Continue reading →

Sleeping Through the Night (For the First Time)

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A sense of dread pounded in my chest as I rubbed my eyes and searched for the blurry green lit numbers on the alarm clock. It was nearly six in the morning. I realized my son had not woken up and part of me panicked. For the past four months he has gone from waking up 4 times per night to one; could this be the first time he slept all the way through, or was there something wrong? Just then I heard a little grunt and a sigh over the monitor. I breathed a sigh of relief and slumped … Continue reading →

Allowing Teens to Drink?

A Cobb County GA mom was recently sentenced to a year and a half in jail, plus community service and a $1,300 fine. Her crime was supplying teenagers with alcohol. Apparently, she was in the habit of giving alcohol to her teenage stepson which led to another teen consuming alcohol in her home and having a fatal accident. While it is illegal for anyone under 21 years of age to consume alcohol or to be served alcohol, too many parents are ignoring the law and serving it anyway. Their reasoning in most cases is that they are going to do … Continue reading →

Encouraging Your Teens to Eat Breakfast

Breakfast is the most important meal of the day… so the saying goes. But try telling that to your family! My younger brother used to hit the snooze on his alarm clock until the last possible second, then throw on some close and rush off to high school without eating. There are lots of “good” reasons for skipping breakfast: I wanted to sleep in. There’s nothing good to eat. It takes too long to make something. I’m not hungry when I first wake up. I want to lose weight. But research has shown that eating breakfast can help boost concentration … Continue reading →

Do you let your kids drive with friends?

When I was a teenager in the 9th grade, a car full of neighbor kids were in a terrible accident. The group was going into The Bronx from Yonkers NY to treat the birthday girl to White Castle hamburgers. She had just turned 13 years old. She never made it home. A truck jackknifed in front to them, and several of them died instantly. Others were injured. Our community lost a 13 year old girl, a 15 year old boy (my classmate’s brother), and the 18 year old driver. An 18 year old passenger lost his arm (that he had … Continue reading →

Are You Going to Wear That?

(cc)image by SuziJane/flickr Remember when your kid’s style was a reflection of your own style? It’s amazing how a perfectly neat well put together elementary aged child, turns into a teen whose since of style either becomes bizarre, or slovenly. I have a bit of both on my hands. The boy used to dress like a miniature man. If Dad wore it, then he wanted one. He requested ties, khaki’s and dress shirts when we went shopping. He preferred shoes over sneakers and sandals. Now he just wants to be covered. As long as nothing important is showing, he could … Continue reading →

Returning to work once kids are teens

The youngest child has turned 13. Perhaps it’s time to get a job. After all, they don’t need or want your constant attention. They can be left home alone for hours on end without getting in or causing trouble. It’s definitely time to go back to work. The kids are old enough to fend for themselves. Not so fast. While teens are old enough to give themselves basic care, they are hardly ready to be on their own. They might look like adults, but the teen years are hardly the years be run a household, care for younger siblings, and … Continue reading →

Dealing with Teenage Mood Swings

A Frontline report on the teenage brain has a segment on mood swings. They say the problem is from hormonal swings that affect the frontal lobe. This part of the brain is developing to help them regulate their emotions and reactions to stress. They are obviously not there yet, but eventually it will all smooth out. The result is quite confusing. Adults are just not used to responses that seem unreasonable… and most responses are unreasonable during the teen years. We are confused because we are looking into the eyes of people who are as tall as we are or … Continue reading →