Eating And sleeping at the wrong times

Animallover2325 · 2022-07-30T23:00:21+00:00

How do you manage your teenagers eating/ sleeping habits? Ds is 16 and during the holidays he’s sleeping til practically dinner time, doesn’t want breakfast, doesn’t want lunch.. eating at night then making himself food during the night - or pasta!! I try talking about his health and I get shut down. How can I persuade him to eat ?

NuffSaidSam · 31/07/2022 00:02

Just let him get on with it. I think it's fairly normal at this age. He's not going to suffer any health problems from this for a few weeks over to the summer. I'm sure he'll do much worse when he's at uni!

OnceAgainWithFeeling · 31/07/2022 00:06

This is completely normal for a teenager.

My daughter slept midnight till noon as a baby and toddler. As long as they get enough sleep and eat within their timetable they’re fine.

DD is a carbon copy of me. I would go to bed at 2am and get up at 10/11am if I could. I do my best work after 9pm. Been this way for 40 years.

I regularly eat dinner after 10pm. As do the majority of Europeans. It’s no issue. It’s actually a pretty great way to live.

Leave him alone.

Arthursmom · 31/07/2022 00:36

So normal for teenagers. Their brains are totally restructuring at this age and most of that happens in the early hours of the morning!! There's actually a lot of research to show that teenagers should start school much later because we wake them up for school in the middle of the massive restructure so they are left lethargic.

PeloAddict · 31/07/2022 00:42

OnceAgainWithFeeling · 31/07/2022 00:06

This is completely normal for a teenager.

My daughter slept midnight till noon as a baby and toddler. As long as they get enough sleep and eat within their timetable they’re fine.

DD is a carbon copy of me. I would go to bed at 2am and get up at 10/11am if I could. I do my best work after 9pm. Been this way for 40 years.

I regularly eat dinner after 10pm. As do the majority of Europeans. It’s no issue. It’s actually a pretty great way to live.

Leave him alone.

That ^^
My current body clock is set to sleep at 2am (which is slightly annoying!) but I've always been a night owl

toomuchlaundry · 31/07/2022 00:43

Do they have a summer job?

Goodskin46 · 31/07/2022 00:46

Going against the grain here, I think he should be encouraged to leave the house during daylight hours and ideally do some exercise. Sleeping till noon- fair enough, sleeping till 4-5pm not so good. Sleeping till 8pm- seriously unhealthy.

Readytoplay · 31/07/2022 00:55

It’s normal. Me and my friends are reaching out mid 20s and we still sometimes still asleep at 1 in the afternoon!

quietnightmare · 31/07/2022 01:00

The days of sleeping all day, I miss you

WudYouSayItInRealLife · 31/07/2022 01:00

Set the wifi to switch off at midnight or whenever you think would work?

OnceAgainWithFeeling · 31/07/2022 10:13

Arthursmom · 31/07/2022 00:36

So normal for teenagers. Their brains are totally restructuring at this age and most of that happens in the early hours of the morning!! There's actually a lot of research to show that teenagers should start school much later because we wake them up for school in the middle of the massive restructure so they are left lethargic.

DD starts high school on Sept. They start their first lesson at 8:30. I’m trying very hard not to be that parent but it’s fucking bonkers.

Original poster

Animallover2325 · 31/07/2022 10:35

Goodskin46 · 31/07/2022 00:46

Going against the grain here, I think he should be encouraged to leave the house during daylight hours and ideally do some exercise. Sleeping till noon- fair enough, sleeping till 4-5pm not so good. Sleeping till 8pm- seriously unhealthy.

I have to agree. I’m all with letting him lie in - we all did it! But yesterday I shouted on him since 11am, he got up after 5. If he doesn’t have his pals around he won’t get up or go out. I know he doesn’t want to go out with me although I keep trying! yesterday it was dinner for breakfast, lunch about midnight then a bowl of cereal - work that one out 🙄
Today husband and I are dragging out and told him to take a friend which he is. I just want him to make the most of his holidays. He’s going into his final school year and it’s going to be a busy one

the 5 thing is very rare but more 2-3

OP posts:

Original poster

Animallover2325 · 31/07/2022 10:37

toomuchlaundry · 31/07/2022 00:43

Do they have a summer job?

He wants one, and I’m sending him local ones to look at. He worries about not having skills etc. he’s so unconfident. We said that all comes in time with experience. I felt the same when I was younger

OP posts:

toomuchlaundry · 31/07/2022 10:38

Get him a job! Does he do any chores, make your dinner once a week etc

BeethovenNinth · 31/07/2022 10:40

Mmm I think there is a difference between sleeping until noon and becoming nocturnal

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 31/07/2022 10:43

My ds was totally nocturnal.

DD sleeps till about 2

Both are normal functioning members of society. Ds is now 28, sleeps normal hours and has a job. Dd is 16. After the hideousness of GCSE she can sleep until she wants.

OnceAgainWithFeeling · 31/07/2022 10:47

BeethovenNinth · 31/07/2022 10:40

Mmm I think there is a difference between sleeping until noon and becoming nocturnal

Maybe he’s destined for a life of night shifts.

shinynewapple22 · 31/07/2022 10:47

. I just want him to make the most of his holidays

I know you don't see sleeping all day and gaming all night as making the most of his holidays - but your son probably does!! For me I would be most concerned if he wasn't having any social interaction. If he is playing online with actual people he knows then he is having some interaction with his friends . He could do with some exercise though . At 16 my DS used to meet friends at those all-weather 5-a-side pitches or go to the gym. Come to think of it they had also started the weekend house parties ! That's perhaps not such a positive .

If there are jobs available in your area for a 16 year old then that would certainly be a good idea .

Waterfallgirl · 31/07/2022 11:06

Funny I was contemplating this today. Welcome to my world!
We are on holiday in Spain with DS 18 and DS20. They both wanted to come away with us ( DH and I were planning this for just us two) and we are touring northern Spain, 2 or 3 days per hotel. On the days when we don’t have to check out they both sleep until lunch. So yes perfectly normal OP.

Luredbyapomegranate · 31/07/2022 11:15

Sleeping till noon is normal - their body clocks do that at this age.

I’d try and find a bribe that gets him up at midday. And a job

whenwillthemadnessend · 31/07/2022 11:21

Yes dd is a night owl and willl happily sleep till
Mid afternoon. Then she will clean her room at 2am!!!!

She starts a casual job next week and it's waitressing so mostly evening work. The time will suit her and I can't wait for her to have a taste of the real world.

Chewbecca · 31/07/2022 11:26

DS does this and I ignore it. I don't think it is particularly healthy but neither is us arguing about it. He likes having the house to himself overnight and doesn't make a mess. He won't be able to do it forever so I am letting him get on with it.

TeenDivided · 31/07/2022 12:33

Turn off internet overnight?

canellini · 04/08/2022 05:04

Is he actually sleeping? Mine is similar age and wakes up around 8 then stays in bed with phone til 11-12. I find it grim.

Featuredcreature · 04/08/2022 05:19

I think it's fucking irritating that going to bed early and getting up at the break of dawn is seen as good and virtuous. Why? Its ridiculous. Like teenagers I have always tended towards nocturnal, sometimes it cycles like now, awake at 5am.

Featuredcreature · 04/08/2022 05:22

One of my sisters is deffo a lark, bed 9pm latest. I just can't fathom how adult people want to go to bed that early. It seems so foreign to me.