School got out two weeks ago and my sixteen year old has become nocturnal.
She sleeps until noon, showers at two, leaves with friends, comes home at ten, then cooks noodles at 1 a.m. like a tiny divorced man.
I asked what her plan was for summer. She said “being alive.” Okay poet.
I am not trying to schedule every minute. I also do not want to fund three months of snacks and transportation while she floats through the house like a renter with no lease.
She does chores when asked, eventually. Her grades were good. Maybe I should let her rot a little.
How much structure are yall giving teenagers over summer? Because mine has entered witness protection.
Have her choose the structure with you. Work, volunteer, exercise, help at home, whatever. Choice gets less pushback than a surprise summer program.
Tiny divorced man is taking me OUT. Mine eats shredded cheese over the sink at midnight.
We disappeared all summer and nobody had location sharing. Honestly we were probably worse.
No. Children need structure. Sleeping until noon and staying out nightly would not happen in my home.
I was this teen. I am now a functioning adult with a mortgage. The noodles did not ruin me.
At sixteen mine had a summer job. Not full time, just enough to learn that snacks cost money.
I require one household task a day, one useful thing a week, and proof of life before noon twice a week.
Let her rot a little. Good grades, chores eventually, no dangerous behavior. Summer is one of the last times she gets to exist without a productivity report.