Do you let them sleep in for as long as they want when there's no school....

[Gymbob]

.....or do you make them get up?

DD2 is 12 and likes to sleep in at the weekends and holidays to mid morning (yes i know it could get worse). She might surface at 10.30 to 11ish. I don't really mind, but my DH does - he thinks she should be up breakfasted and dressed. DD1 is 13 and always up around 7.30 and is breakfasted etc by 8.30 ish.

The differences in time usually mean that on weekends they are hungry at different times and it can sometimes throw the evening meal out.

Please tell me what happens in your house

When they get to about 12, their body clocks change. I try to let mine get sleep on weekends and holidays and only wake them up if we need to do something. They end up staying up very late, but this is just normal at this age.

I quite enjoy a few hours piece and quite on a weekend morning.

It is hard enough on a school day to get DS (16) out in the morning without WW3. If he hasn't got anything planned I don't begin to call him until noon.

If your DD did get up at 8am what does DH think she should be doing?

I let them sleep. When they're up they just roam around looking for food. I think they actually need the sleep.

I serve meals at the normal times and they can take them or leave them. People who are not hungry at mealtime can have leftovers from the fridge any time.

That being said, I now only have the youngest three of five left at home, with DS occasionally making an appearance from university. When all five of them were living at home and DD1 (the oldest) turned into a teenager it seemed a pita to have her up and on a different eating schedule from everyone else, and having conversations with the younger ones like 'why do I have to eat dinner when DD1 doesn't have to?' 'Because DD1 isn't hungry' 'Well I'm not hungry...'

exH used to get very annoyed when DD1 preferred to stay in her room instead of watching family tv or being 100% engaged in family life but it wasn't something that bothered me. She had different interests at 13 from those of her younger brother who was 10 and the next youngest sister, 8. Lots of changes, physical, emotional and social at that age. To me it was preferable to have her relaxed in her room than snippy and rude to people downstairs or having fights about tv.

My dd(16) sleeps in until whenever at weekends and holidays unless she has plans. Sometimes she doesn't surface until 2 in the afternoon. Doesn't bother me, nobody is suffering because of it.

Teenagers need as much sleep as toddlers, they need to catch up at the weekends/holidays.

How would you feel if you were woken up on your day off?!

Yes, I let them sleep for as long as they need/want to.

my 14 yr old DD has a very long school day, so I let her sleep in at the weekend. Usually get her up by 11/12 ish, or she'll be too out of synch for school on monday.

I tend to be fairly relaxed about mealtimes at weekends, breakfast is help yourself and lunch will be a sandwich. She often has more of a brunch I.e. a bigger late breakfast and then will join us for the evening meal.

I recently brought a brevill panini toaster and its great for lunches.

I agree teenagers need more sleep and weekends is the only time to catch up.

My dd loves sleeping in at the weekends. I wouldn't wake her up as she obviously needs the sleep. She will often get up and have lunch as she has missed breakfast.

Teenagers need a lot of sleep. So it's good for them to sleep in at weekends.
I like a lie in on my days off so I never used to wake my DDs up. Only have DD3 at home now. She often stays in bed until midday if she isn't going anywhere. There is no reason a teen should
be up and had breakfast by 8.30.

Why is it important for your DH to have them up and at 'em on the weekends?

I enjoy the peace too in the early morning

especially when I read teenagers brains grow during sleep...

The oldest is a naturally early riser like her dad - she can't sleep in and neither can he. He can't understand how the youngest can stay in bed for so long. It doesn't help that he was in the army in his youth and the regime and discipline was instilled in him.

The oldest likes to be in bed at a reasonable time otherwise she's really grumpy the next day as no matter what time she goes to bed she still wakes up really early. The youngest is a night owl and will go to bed as late as she can get away with school or no school.

I fully understand the need to sleep in and remember quite clearly staying in bed until lunchtime when I was at home (again much to the disgust of my own father).

Thanks for your feedback - up to now 100% say leave her in her pit

Let her sleep.

Mealtimes as normal and she can join in or get herself something later.

Mine is 14 and I am usually at work in the holidays and out with my little one at weekends, soo her sleeping habits go largely unpoliced. DD1 does need time to sleep and mooch. It makes her easier to live with and she's pretty good on school mornings thank goodness as I am NOT a morning person.

My mum and dad went to boarding school and then dad was in the RAF -- neither of them could really understand it either. They absolutely never slept in themselves, long after they had got to the point in their lives when they could. My sisters and I could have won Olympic medals for sleep as teenagers (eventually my parents threw in the towel).

Sleep in definitely. Ds1 who is 14 sleeps in til about noon at least at the weekend. I do make him breakfast and lunch separately from the rest of us, when he's ready. It is just a stage, they are growing so fast, they need food sleep food sleep on and on for ever. Best just to go with. At least asleep they aren't out hanging around street corners being a pain, you know ehere they are and what they are doing, and sleep is a nice and quiet, cheap activity that doesn't require transport!

I long for this to be a subject of discussion in our household! DS (14 months) seems to think that 5am is an appropriate time to get up.

Yes,I do.

what ?

you don't appreciate a few hours break from the snarling and the contempt ?

my dd is 16, and I let her sleep as long as possible at weekends

she is often up before me though, so dunno what happened there

DD12 gets to lie in for as long as she wants if she has no plans, as then I get to read the paper in peace.

I have to confess to completely forgetting to feed her though.

[bad mother]

I leave DS to sleep for as long as he can as he's always sleep deprived during the week.

What does your dh expect your dd to be doing at 7.30 on a Saturday morning? Nobody in our house gets up before 10.30 ish at weekends.

At a guess, I think DH would like the youngest to be up, dressed, and breakfasted maybe after a 3 mile run, clean his car, walk the dog and prepare the dinner, then he might be happy......as it is she surfaces mid-morning to him greeting her with a sarcastic 'Good Afternoon'.

I'm not a morning person either, and think that annoys him even more

I get ds1 up at about 9 at weekends. Anything later and he's up till the early hours.