Go to Sleep!!!

blueiguana
Wed, 31 Oct 2012 15:40:38 +0000

I’m on my third boy in his Jr year. We’ve all heard ‘choose your battles’, and your battles will be different with each.

I agree that food/eating times should not be one of them. Make healthy food available. If he’s starving when he’s coming through the door and eating means he’s not going to be hungry for dinner, leftovers from last nights dinner would be perfect. If yogurt and some fruit might get him by until a family meal on some days, that works too. Try to make this as seamless as possible without it turning into either an argument or pop tarts and cheetos washed down with a Mt. Dew. There’s a happy medium. If family meal time is important to you either ask that he join you at that time even if he’s not going to eat, or plan for the weekends.

As for the late nights, S3 would study in his room where we’d find him asleep, head down on his desk with a textbook on his lap. When we’d wake him he’d swear he wasn’t sleeping…boodshot eyes, big crease on his forehead and all. Finally we moved him from his room to my office. It’s on the first floor off the family room with glass/french doors. When he’s in there it’s a different vibe and his body naturally knows it’s time to study, not hang out, goof off, or sleep. It has actually worked very well. Jr. year is very demanding. He’s still up much later then we’d like…well past midnight half the time with the alarm going off just after 5:15am. With AP classes, ECs, and SATs he’s simply got a lot going on, like every other kid his age. Now that he’s down here we can see when he’s wasting time and ‘refocus’ him. The goal is to be done and up to bed by 11pm. He does wear the headphones, the celphone and fb are not allowed. We casually spot check to make sure. He’s pretty good about it.

We also don’t budge on the chores. Daily he helps with dishes and smaller things. Weekends it’s mowing, laundry, and his bathroom. It’s all part of being a family. If he’s really swamped on something he’ll get a reprieve for a day or two, but I won’t do it for him…it’s there waiting.