Hi – Sue Blaney here with your Parenting Tip from Parenting Teens Info.com

My tip this week is:
Do all you can to make sure your teenager gets enough sleep. Listen

There are lots of distractions right now that can really impact your teenager; spring fever is in high gear, end of year projects, recitals, playoff games and celebrations may impact your teenager’s schedule. But final exams are around the corner, and it’s really important to help keep your teenager healthy. The challenge becomes, then, making sure they get enough sleep! Even while older teens manage their own schedules, you can play an important role in keeping all teens healthy and on top of things.

Here are some ways you can help:

• Have dinner at a regularly scheduled time, keeping to a predictable schedule as much as possible.
• Make sure your teenager is first spending time on the priorities…school work…before allowing extra computer time or television viewing.
• Keep to an early curfew on week nights, if you allow them to go out at all.
• Keep your general atmosphere at home as quiet, comfortable, calm and supportive as possible.
• Encourage your teenager to get a good amount of exercise, as this improves sleep.
• If they are getting late night calls on their cell phones, turn the cell phones off. They can get their messages in the morning.
• On weekends, try to make sure their schedule doesn’t go too awry… and especially on Sunday night encourage them to get to bed early to begin the week on the right foot.
• Make sure that once school is out your teen will have some time to unwind, play and sleep…and keep to that promise. They deserve to look forward to a few lazy summer days of sleeping late.

Remember, you make the rules and enforce them. Providing structure and appropriate expectations will help your teenager manage the temptations that come with spring fever and keep the pedal to the metal for the last push til school gets out.

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Teens…….

Til next time…I'm Sue Blaney.