Do you wait up for your older teenagers?

[neva]

My dd1 is 17. She is good about telling me what time she'll be home. As I am in bed by 11, I set an alarm so I can check she's back by whatever time she has said. How do others deal with this? Feeling quite tired as dd2 is up by 6.30am..!

I do more or less the same as you with my ds2, except I've stopped using the alarm clock and just rely on him to text me around midnight if he is going to stay overnight with friends or if there is going to be a change of plan. Otherwise I just sleep through til the morning, or until I hear him come home (usually about 1 o'clock-ish).

I always ask him where he will be going and know at least some of the names of the people he will be meeting.

It all stepped up to a different level once his friends started passing their driving tests, but so far it has all worked out ok.

I agree about the teenage drivers - I remember the moment I realised that "I'm getting a lift home with Lizzie" no longer meant that Lizzie's mum or dad would be doing the driving!

My two are now both over 18, so officially adults, but we do have an agreement that they tell me whether they will be eating at home and whether they will be in or out for the night. I tend to go to bed, but that doesn't necessarily mean I sleep!

Oddly, I don't worry about DS at all when he's at uni, even though he's probably more likely to be out late, only when he's home. I don't know if I'll be the same about DD when she goes next month.

The main problem for me is lack of sleep - sometimes just 6 hours between dd1 getting home and much younger dd2 waking up!

We used to leave the hall light on and when they got home they would switch it off so if I got up in the night to go to the loo I could easily check. And I agree that I didn't worry when they were at uni but as soon as they were home for the holidays the worry started.

I have now stopped waitng up for DD218 but only in the last couple of months.

I go to bed but don't really sleep. I have one ear cocked for the sound of ds1's car in the drive and one eye open for the security light which comes on when ds2 arrives.

[bleary eyed emoticon]

DD is really very quiet when she comes in, so sometimes I do miss her coming in.
I remember on one occasion when she & her bf came in really quietly but very hungry & got themselves a snack in total silence (even remembering to turn the whistle off on the kettle.) Unfortunately the snack they chose was bacon, so I was woken up by the smell drifting up from the kitchen!

My eldest DD is 23. When she lived at home I would go to bed but not go to sleep until I herd her come in. We also had an agreement that if she was going to be late home or was going back to stay with a friend then she would phone by 11pm to tell me.

I do the leaving on the light thing. Leave light on in DS1(19) bedroom so can see when he is in. DD(21) usually makes so much noise, can hear when in! I still don't sleep properly til I hear they are in, DH goes straight to sleep, doesn't wake up til morning, never, ever worries about them! Also have DS2 so also have the problem of him having to get up for school only a few hours after oldest have come in from late night out. Drives me mad that they don't even go out til about 11pm and come in at 3am...aaaargh. Also going into bathroom right by bedroom in early hours. Have just about got used to it for university hols, but they'll be going back in a month and we'll get some peaceful nights again hopefully.

3am...that must be hard bagsforlife. Funny how men can sleep right through.

Since having DD2 I don't worry about/ wait up for or hear my teens

In my defence none of them go to bed before the early hours so if the 2 that are likely to be out didn't come home or had a problem I'm pretty sure the other one would get me up.

no because havent got teenagers...but i do rememeber my dad sitting downstairs listening to music until i used to get home... used to walk in and he would be sat there with his headphones on