What would YOU say?

Question

What would say is good bedtime if you are 13 years old, & you are home shcooled. Also would you let her get a cell phone, a comoputer, and a TV in her room?

Answer 1

time 9:00pm
no cell
yes comp.
no tv

Answer 2

It doesn't matter what I say is a good bedtime or would get you all that stuff. What matters is what your mom says.

However, if you want a comparison: My 13 year old doesn't have a cell phone. Or a computer in her room although she has access to a family computer that she shares with her sister and whoever else needs it. That's set up in a central location where anyone can see what anyone else is looking at online. She does have a TV in her room, though.

Bedtimes...do your research. There are some studies showing that through the teen age and young adult years people's bodies really want to stay up later and sleep in a little in the morning. Some high schools are now offering the chance to have your first class of the day be a study hall or homeroom that has optional attendance so students can sleep in an extra 45 minutes. If you're home schooled you could make that a persuasive essay project and maybe win yourself a little later bedtime.

Answer 3

9 oclock p.m. is a good bedtime. my kids go to public school and their normal bedtime is between 8:30 and 9 pm. My kids at home are 16, 14 and 13 and none of them fight me on this point. Also does the child spend time away from home? If she is home school and you have a home phone unless you let her go out at the age of 13 why would she need a cell phone? Does she need a tv and computer in her room to finish her work for the day or does she just want to have those things? Yes to the tv in her room no to the computer unless it has a nanny.

Answer 4

Bedtime - 9 pm or so, but I guess it really depends on what time she gets up in the morning.

Cell phone - does she go anywhere where she would need to get a hold of you? Can you let her have a cell phone with limitations - no calls after bedtime, no calls that will cost, no text messaging, keep calls to 10 minutes or less? Sometimes, cell phones are handy - I don't pay long distance, but my family lives far away, so it makes sense in that aspect.

Computer - she could have one to do her school work, and if it's not hooked up to internet, then it'd be ok to have in her room. If you have internet, her computer should likely be kept in an open area where you can monitor her. You don't want her meeting creeps online.

TV - again, with rules. Off after bedtime, it shouldn't get in the way of homework.

Good luck.

Answer 5

13 years old is a teenager and that's when the body starts changing and they want to go to sleep late and wake up later (which is a good bit biological). So I think 10:30 or so would be good. Especially for a homeschool kid because it's not like she has to get up at 7 am necessarily.

I would let my 13 year old daughter have a tv in her room. And a cell phone......but computer in the bedroom is not a good idea. I wouldn't want my 13 year old daughter to spend her entire day on myspace and yahoo answers :) and be target to internet pedophiles. maybe when she is a little older.

Answer 6

Your job as a parent is to prepare your children to live alone in the world when they are adults. If you are home schooling this is even more true since you have limited their exposure to peer groups and other authorities which they will have to one day deal with on their own.

Even if the 13 year old is home schooled you need to get used to the schedule most of society functions on. Also during the teen years a person is growing faster than any time of their life apart from infancy. Resarch has shown that contrary to the stereotype of teenagers being "lazy", they do in fact require more sleep than adults, as much as 9-10 hours per night for optimal health and alertness. So a bed time of 10pm seems most appropriate at least Sunday - Thursday nights, perhaps an hour later Friday and Saturday.

A computer in their room is a bad idea. With all the internet predators and scams out there the parents need to be able to monitor what they are doing on the computer. This isn't to say you have to sit there and read everything they type and read, but simply by keeping the computer in a public area where they know you can glance at it as you walk by will discourage them from going to a lot of sites that can most easily lead to trouble.

A TV in their room is also a bad idea. Again you should be able to keep an eye on what shows they watch. You don't need to watch with them all the time but you should have an idea of what the watch and what the content is. When you notice which shows they watch regularly you *should* sit down and watch an episode with them once in a while. Kids pick up a lot of ideas, beleifs, and attituded from TV. You should know what they are getting. While you are watching with them ask them questions during the comercials. Get them to examine what they are watching instead of just soaking it in without question. Challenge the attitudes of the main characters if they are promoting things you find distasteful. Most of all, get them to think about the commercials! Teach them about critical thinking. Get them to question if the product claims are realistic. Remember, you have to prepare them to make decisions on their own when you won't be there to help them.

Cell phone? A few years ago I would have said definately no. Unfortunately I have observed a regrettable side effect to the popularity of cell phones. Public phones have become scarce so if they get stuck somewhere it may be difficult for them to find a safe phone to call you for help. This is the only reason I would consider getting a cell phone for a teenager. Then since I would make it clear that it is for them to be able to contact you when needed one of the prepaid phones is cost effective. They don't need to be using the cell phone to chatter on with their friends all the time. When they are home they can use the house phone. I don't think they need to have one in their room specificly. If you have a house phone that is cordless they can always take it into their room for a call and bring it back out when they are finished. This at least allows you to have a general idea of how much time they are spending on the phone. Again it also discourages the extreme abuses if they know there is the possibility that you could pick up another phone in the house and hear bits of their conversation.

Answer 7

My daughter is 13 also...her bedtime is 9:30, she has a cell phone, no computer or tv in her room, and she is happy with that...

Answer 8

No i dont think u should say a bedtime to a 13 year old. just get the the cell, computer, and the TV in he room. if she deserves all that.

Answer 9

13 is a touh age....i think when i was 13 my bedtime was like 9-10...if i was good and got my homework done and did my chores....stuff like that...also i personally dont think a 13 year old should have a cell phone...there is no need for one...just a waste of money, a computer would be good...for school, but a tv and computer in her rooom...no because than they just stay up chatting and watching tv rather than sleeping...than they are cranky the next day....good luck

Answer 10

My stepdaughter is 13 and her bed time is at 9:30 or 10.00. She had a cell phone since she was 9 (for soccer) a laptop computer for her school studies and she has cable and Tv in her room...I think it's okay.

She's been very good to us...good grades, does her chores without complaining and communicates with us with her cell phone so we don't have to be worried about her. Teenagers need a little space to find out who they are. Don't smother her..let her be a teenager.

Answer 11

Having 5 kids with 13 as my eldest. All these rules apply to them:

Be in bed at 9:00pm
No TV during weekdays
No computer time on weekdays
No cellphone until JR high

I do this to my kids to lessen the distractions at home when they are studying. I'm trying to give them good study habits that they can use when they go to college. And when Friday afternoon comes, they can start doing those things until Sunday evening. That's if they do their own chores everyday (like fix their own bed, help setting up and cleaning up the dinner table, etc).

So far, my kids don't complain. I do give them a one-on-one talk every once in a while to air their concerns. And me and their Dad talk about it and decide what to do.