How to help teenagers get enough sleep
Judesaleh asks: Is it ok for my 12-year-old daughter to sleep over at my mum’s just because she doesn’t want anyone to tell her when to sleep and she likes to stay up sooo late? I can’t have any privacy when she is around. Knowing that my mum lives alone, and this is only during the summer vacation, what can I do to make her sleep earlier?
Hi Judesaleh –
Thanks for writing me. I’m a bit confused by your question, though. It sounds like you’re asking if it’s okay for your 12-year-old to sleep at your mother’s home (If it’s a safe place and they both enjoy it, then I’d say absolutely! Grandparents are one of my favorite things, and I think there’s nothing better for a kid than to spend time getting to know them). But it also sounds like you’re asking how to get your 12-year-old to go to bed earlier when she’s staying with you.
That’s a very common and difficult problem. When children are young, most of them are “early folk,” going to bed early and then waking up well before their parents are ready to get out of bed, eager to greet the new day. But when kids hit the beginnings of Continue reading