Congratulations! You’re having a baby. How exciting. You buy adorable little clothes, lots of safe toys, diapers, diapers and more diapers. Oh yea… you also have to baby proof your house. You know, outlet plugs, cabinet locks and avoid anything a child could climb on and tip over. But wait…. what happens when there are no more babies?
What happens when your first baby turns into a…. TEENAGER??????
I think there is a whole new set of teen-proofing that needs to go on. And why doesn’t anyone ever talk about it? Well, here we go…
HOW TO TEEN-PROOF YOUR HOUSE
1. The Telephone – If you have ever gone looking for your cordless phone that is supposed to be on the cradle in the kitchen because you have to make an important call and that phone just isn’t there… check your TEEN’S room. Of course they have a cell phone, but that has never stopped a TEEN from feeling that EVERY phone in the house is their own personal property. (I recommend one of those safety tethers so they can’t move the phone more than 10 feet.)
2. The Food – You just came home from the market with $200 worth of healthy, nutritious food for your family and the first thing your TEEN says after opening the refrigerator is “There’s no food in the house?” Typical! (I recommend having a secret stash of your teen’s favorite snacks that you can slip her so you don’t have to listen to the complaining the rest of the night.)
3. The Siblings – No matter how wonderful your kids got along when they were kids, once one of them becomes a TEEN, the siblings are just an inconvenience and a nuisance, not to mention incredibly embarrassing. (I recommend having a set time during the day/evening when the siblings are not allowed to talk/see/bother the TEEN. Let the TEEN know they have at least a few quiet moments they can be totally alone.)
4. Being Alone – Contradicting #3 above, never leave your TEEN alone. I know, hard to do. But… when your TEEN has too much alone time, they can get into trouble. While you are keeping those pesky siblings away from them… that doesn’t mean that YOU can’t be checking up on what is going on behind closed doors.
5. The Computer – I highly recommend having every single password your TEEN sets up. This goes for smart phones, iPads, laptops and any other electronic device that could possible freeze you out. Yes, I DO check my TEEN’S email and texting and photos and everything. Honestly, if they have a problem with you checking up on them… it’s a sure sign they are hiding something.
6. Friends – I think this is the top commandment of parenting at any age… KNOW YOUR CHILD’S FRIENDS. Know them personally. Invite them over to your house. Talk to the parents. Know where they live and what their phone numbers are. Of course you aren’t going to call them… that would be stalker-ish. BUT… if you ever need to give info to the police (God forbid) you will be happy to have an address and phone number.
7. Clothes – Your TEEN will never be happy with their clothes. You can’t do laundry enough to satisfy their needs. They will change clothes 12 times a day. They will complain they don’t have anything nice to wear and that you never take them shopping. TAKE THEM SHOPPING! Don’t let them make purchases without you. You might find that they have wasted money on skirts that are too short or tops that show too much. Seriously… use this as bonding time… go shopping together and BOTH be happy with the purchases.
8. School/Education – Becoming a TEEN means that schoolwork might start to take a backseat to socializing. Suddenly, it’s the friends, boys, clothes, parties, and dances that all become a priority. Keep up on the grades, parents. If your straight A student starts getting B’s and C’s, chances are there is something up! Don’t let it slide. Don’t brush it off as a fluke. If your kids know that grades are a priority to you and that you keep track of how they are doing, they will be less likely to slip under the radar. Teachers don’t always let you in on how your child is doing until it’s the end of the semester and too late to change habits. YOU need to be proactive in keeping up with teachers, grades, tests and homework. Believe me… if you install good school habits young, you’ll have much less trouble later on.
Sounds like an awful lot of trouble, doesn’t it? Remember… you managed to get through the toddler years… you’ll get through the teen years too.
Thank you for this. It’s true that we as parents never talk about the teen years. This seems to be a more challenging time with hormones raging.
Good tips. I can especially relate to the cordless phone one. So many times I have been dashing around trying to answer a ringing phone that I can’t find. Goes double with computers. They freak out if you use THEIRS but yours seems to be fair game for everyone! I’ve had to password protect it just to keep their Cheeto fingers off it – turkeys! I just keep saying this too shall pass….
I was out late last night and when I woke up this morning my laptop was NOT on my night table where I left it. My daughter was going on and on about how I lose things and then 10 minutes later she remembered that SHE took it and didn’t bring it back. Ugh!
Wow. This is a great list of tips. We’ve discussed that all computers will be out in a common area because there is just too much to worry about with webcams. I also agree that no one talks about working with teens which is odd, because I have always felt the more involved you, the better your teen will turn out.
LOVE this. . .mine is still 12. . .but seriously. . .I see shades of it all to come. . .
Hillary
Haha, this made me laugh a little, because my Mother STILL wants to know the names & numbers of my friends!!!;)