It's summer do your older teens have a bedtime?

[funhouse8]

I'm having a problem with my kids sleeping habits. They are 16 & 17. I think that going to bed at 1 am is late enough but they feel I'm being unreasonable. They want to stay up & talk to their friends (who they seen all night) on the computer. The younger one usually falls asleep watching TV but The older one is giving me the most trouble. She usually works at a summer camp and decided to stay home this year because it is her last summer before college. She does have a job but the hours aren't always in the AM. They don't have TV's or computers in their rooms so they stay up in the den. I caught her still up last night at 3:45. I know when she goes away to school I have no say in the hours she keeps but this is driving me crazy. So is what they are telling me true or do your teens have a bedtime?

 

[Cruisin]

Are they bothering you by staying up so late? Making noise so that it wakes you up?

If not then I would let them stay up as late as they wanted to as long as they are able to fulfill whatever job obligations that they have.

 

[MUFFYCAT]

My girls 13 & 16 don't have bedtime curfews. They don't have a TV or computer in their room. The older will go to bed before her sister most nights.

If they have to get up in the morning for something the next day, they'll go to bed earlier.

 

[Toby'sFriend]

no, I can't stay up late enough to enforce it so I don't even try.

 

[golfgal]

Our kids don't have bedtimes in the summer. The twins are going into 7th grade and are pretty much in bed by 10 or 10:30 by choice--they are more early to bed/early to rise kids. DS14 is going into 10th grade and is taking a class this summer so he is in bed by 9:30 so he can get up for class but when that is over in a couple weeks he will be staying up until midnight or so I am sure. He is by nature a night owl and loves summer when he can stay up later.

 

[Robmom]

My DD is the same way. I wanted her off the computer at 12 the latest. Sometimes I would wake up and she would still be on at 2:00! She is actually punished right now because she has to go to summer school, so she won't be on the computer this summer.

 

[Breezy_Carol]

Are they bothering you by staying up so late? Making noise so that it wakes you up?

If not then I would let them stay up as late as they wanted to as long as they are able to fulfill whatever job obligations that they have.

I totally agree. My 2 are 18 and 21. They have been staying up later than me for a long time. As long as I can sleep, I don't care.

 

[minnieandme]

Let them enjoy themselves. Summer should be a time to relax and have fun.

 

[Cantw8]

Mine are also 16 and 17...honestly, I don't care when they go to bed I'm just so grateful I don't have to try and get them up for school anymore that I just don't care when they turn in They do have a daily list of things I want to see done when they are there, if they are not done..then they don't go out at night

 

[Darcy03231]

My kids are 13 & 15 (almost 14 & 16). Unless there's something special going on they need to be in bed by midnight. No computers in their room but they both have a DVD and TV in their rooms (no cable). Since I watch the news at 10 on the family room tv everynight they usually go up to their rooms to watch a movie. Most nights DD is asleep by 11:00. DS tends to stay up a little later, but not by much.

 

[Galahad]

IMO, the up all night, sleep odd hours, habit is extremely harmful to most people in the long run. We don't enforce a "bed time" but the internet is unavailable in most cases after 1:00 a.m. The worst "up all night" scenario for teens, IMO is "up all night on the internet". It's a habit, that if they can't break it when they need to, will really hurt their future.

 

[funhouse8]

Oh I do like this idea!

 

[Hannathy]

No my younger teen doesn't have one in fact my elementary one doesn't have one either! I can't imagine telling an older teen they have a bedtime. If they can't handle deciding when to go to bed how in the world will they handle more important decisions? Mine goes to bed when she wants and the rest of us go when we want. She is usually on the computer and has the TV on low so I never hear her. We don't have computers in their rooms so she is in the family room. She usually can sleep in but if she has to be up early for something and doesn't go to bed early enough oh well she's the one tired not me. I would guess she goes between 1 and 2 but I know it has also been later.

 

[Tybug]

I don't care when my nearly 15 year old finally goes to sleep. All I care is that he gets up in time for work and isn't grumpy!

 

[MushyMushy]

Neither kid really has a summertime bedtime, although I do encourage them to stay quiet. DS tends to go to bed earlier than DD, though, and she's younger! He's usually in bed by 10, and she'd stay up all night if we'd let her.

 

[funhouse8]

The problem really isn't her staying up late -The problem is she doesn't like to wake up. She does sleep the day away because she is up all night. She never thinks about how tired she will be the next day. It's like waking a bear. Her laying there with the alarm blairing in her ear. I am so worried about her going off to school in Sept and pray for only afternoon classes. LOL

 

[powellrj]

I let them stay up as late as they want to and sleep in unless they have something to do that day.

 

[KarenB]

My DSs are 17 and 18 and they are night owls in the summer (I remember I was too at this age). They have a curfew when they need to be home but they can stay up as late as they want once they are in for the night. Many times they leave a note asking me to wake them at a certain time, usually midmorning. They both have jobs and they know if I need them early in the morning they must not give me a hard time if I wake them. I DO NOT tiptoe around them when they are sleeping though! They are responsible, have a job, decent students, oldest is heading to college in the fall, and I think they still like us as parents! So let them sleep.

Karen

 

[mommasita]

My kids are 8 and 11, and have no real bedtime...I often am in bed before them. They have the basement, computers are on, but usually they watch a movie...

I love this time of year.

 

[Sailorwife]

Mine are 15, 12, & 10. They are not allowed on the computer after 10:00. It automatically locks them out so even if they tried to sneak on it would not work. Everyone is in their rooms by 10:00 but are not required to go to sleep. They all have TVs and game systems in their rooms and can stay up but usually they read and go to sleep. My DS12 is a early riser so he is usually out early!