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Teenagers

Parenting teenagers has its ups and downs. Get advice from Mumsnetters here.

Original poster

How do your teens spend their time?

11 replies

aldgadgie · 20/12/2018 09:28

Ds is 12 (shortly 13) he comes home from school at 3:30pm goes on Xbox for hour and half, does homework, have dinner then watches YouTube for the rest of the night.
We don’t allow electronics upstairs so this is all in our sitting room so we potter etc.
He does activities twice a week but it all just feels like he is constantly plugged in.
Is this normal? Feel like surely there must be more than just being on his phone all the time?

OP posts:
MrsEricBana · 20/12/2018 09:30

Very sadly this is pretty normal. Mine do sport and gym too.

RedSkyLastNight · 20/12/2018 09:37

DS (14) remains mostly glued to PS4
DD 12) remains mostly glued to her phone.

They only really come up with electronics if there is an alternative activity in the offing e.g. DD will go out with friends sometimes; DS does a fair bit of sport and they both obviously have homework.

Original poster
aldgadgie · 20/12/2018 12:56

Thanks both, this reassures me a bit. Can’t for the life of me remember what I did as a teenager in the house apart from watch tv and homework. Forgotten what normal is without phone.

OP posts:
Squeegle · 23/12/2018 16:17

Well at least he does his homework Grin. Mine does that but without the inconvenience of homework.

Sarahandduck18 · 23/12/2018 16:38

Normal.

Shannaratiger · 23/12/2018 16:43

Same here ds12 and Dd15. Going to my parents tomorrow - stress levels will be rising fast!!

GrantedVerity · 23/12/2018 18:08

Very sadly this is pretty normal

^This.

The whole youtube thing is (mostly) pathetic in my view, a bunch of attention-seekers. Its cringey stuff too, and sometimes dubious morally - yeah filming people being upset because you "pranked" them in some way.

If I had my time again, honestly, I'd be going Amish.

GrantedVerity · 23/12/2018 18:09

"pranked" them sometimes means actually scaring and upsetting people.

Boredboredboredboredbored · 23/12/2018 19:53

Yep normal

Ds 14 In bedroom all day if I don't drag him out. I have to shut the Xbox off at a certain time otherwise he'd be on it all the time.

Dd 15 spends a lot of time in her room. She's mainly doing homework, watching tv on her iPad or talking to friends.

I don't worry so much now, both are doing brilliantly at school, they are fine socially and polite well rounded kids.

Mummyshark2018 · 23/12/2018 21:13

Don't have teenagers yet but I work with a lot of them. What you've described sound standard these days, in fact your dc is doing homework and you've not allowed electronics upstairs so I think you're winning! The YouTube thing is how we may have stuck a movie/ series on tv and watched it. It's just their thing only more interactive I suppose in some ways (though that comes with its own problems!).

Susiesue61 · 30/12/2018 23:33

My 2 DSs both play a lot of Xbox. ds1 is 19 and goes out quite a lot with his mates. Ds2 goes out occasionally and does football training.
DD is 17 and i worry about her more - she goes out very occasionally but spends a lot of time on her own! I don't know if that's normal for teenage girls these days, she says she's happy and chats to her mates online

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