Do you let your teenagers eat and drink in their rooms?

[Goodtimesx]

I don’t allow meals in there but they do occasionally have a packet of sweets or crisps. I find it disrespectful if they don’t bring the wrappers down or put them in the bin in their rooms. If I ask them or remind them, they hate it!

I am Trying to pick my battles as they are definitely moody teenagers and I don’t want the conflict plus it’s the summer holidays and in some ways it’s best to just leave them to it. But I can’t stand it! What’s the norm?

I was always allowed to as a teen, I think I was about 14 when my mum stopped tidying my room and left it up to me. We have bins in every room of the house and dirty plates etc always brought straight downstairs and put in dish washer or washed by hand so not left lying around.

Never occurred to me not to, tbh.

Meals are all eaten downstairs, obviously, but anything else is fair game. Once or twice I've said can you bring down any mugs etc but usually they bring them without prompting.

Yes I let them.

She had an old carpet until a month ago. The new one is nice and very hardwearing. Carpet seller told me it could be bleached if necessary.

Dd is nearly sixteen.

Hope that she has the good sense not to spill things.

I don’t think it’s odd not to like it. It wouldn’t have occurred to me as a kid to eat in my bedroom.

I know times have changed and young people spend a lot more time in their rooms online and certainly during lockdown.

Living in pjs and eating snacks and sitting on technology all day contributes to an unhealthy lifestyle and I’ve got children who are not active or sporty by nature so it’s hard. Dc went out this morning, came home and changed into pjs at 1pm!

My op was about mess in bedrooms but it’s a wider problem really but according to this thread many parents are more chilled than I am.

Yeah I do, not all the time, they mainly sit with me but on occasion they've asked and I don't see the big deal as long as they bring their washing up down themselves!

@merryhouse

Never occurred to me not to, tbh.

Meals are all eaten downstairs, obviously, but anything else is fair game. Once or twice I've said can you bring down any mugs etc but usually they bring them without prompting.

^ Exactly this.

Meals are downstairs together but snacks, etc. can be eaten anywhere they fancy.

I've never thought about it until reading on MN that it just isn't the done thing for some families.

No, because who wants to clean crumbs and wrappers from upstairs? Nobody here eats in bedrooms or I would start shouting in a menopausal piss. Nobody would though, because it’s just a bit rank. Food in food room. Bed in bed room. Simple!

my son has a problem with his legs and sometimes cannot make the stairs. So he has a fridge and I always make sure that there is food in there for him especially if I not around.
But to be honest even if he didn’t have bad legs I’m not sure him having food up there is something I would care about to be honest.
I love to sit in my own bed and eat pizza and watch a film. Grim yes. But it’s something I enjoy

No. Water only. It's always been this way and so far he hasn't questioned it

Mines not a teenager but I let DC snack in the bedroom, fruit etc. Messy foods at table only x

Living in pjs and eating snacks and sitting on technology all day contributes to an unhealthy lifestyle and I’ve got children who are not active or sporty by nature so it’s hard. Dc went out this morning, came home and changed into pjs at 1pm!

I got up this morning, had a shower and changed into fresh pyjamas, and haven't left the house once.

I also had breakfast in bed

Definitely not meals, we try to eat all together when we can but even so, main meals are eaten downstairs in the kitchen. They absolutely are allowed snacks up in their rooms, they all have bins and are responsible for the day to day tidying (or not) of their own pigsties. We have a cleaner who comes once a week and they all have to have tidied their rooms including making sure all rubbish is disposed of properly and not left on the floor etc.
I generally leave them to it with their bedrooms, they get properly cleaned once a week and are actually much better at looking after their stuff than I was at their ages.
You say you usually go into their rooms and have a quick tidy around, how old are they?

Sorry, just saw they are teenagers. Leave their rooms alone!

Similar to others on here no meals but drinks and snacks (supposed to be dry food only). I encourage them to dispose of the debris. We have a cleaner once a week so rooms need to be clear ahead of that.

I have two teens and a pre teen. We eat our evening meal together at the table - that is really important to me. They're allowed snacks in their rooms though. They're not too bad at putting the wrappers in the bin.

@aiwblam

No, because who wants to clean crumbs and wrappers from upstairs? Nobody here eats in bedrooms or I would start shouting in a menopausal piss. Nobody would though, because it’s just a bit rank. Food in food room. Bed in bed room. Simple!

Rank? 🙄

Have you never had a cuppa I bed in the morning? Never taken a biscuit upstairs?

With teenagers there are definitely bigger battles to be had...