<p>I’m only a high school senior, so this doesn’t really apply to my family that much, but I don’t see much of this being a problem when this happens next year.</p>
<p>My father is a lawyer and my mother basically runs the law firm. She schedules all the appointments, answers the phone, prepares the documents, etc. So she sets her own schedule. My parents stay up until 1-3 AM most nights. It’s rare to see them in bed before 12:30. My mom usually doesn’t get up until 10 or 11. My dad gets up around 9 usually.</p>
<p>I have a sister who’s seven, and during breaks/weekends, we both follow this schedule so it isn’t unusual for us to get up from 11-1.</p>
<p>For our family, I think next year when my breaks come, it’ll be expected that I babysit, help out in the law office (being 18 and everything I’ll finally be able to witness and notarize stuff), and maybe do the dishes. But those are all things that I’m already expected to do… Me going off to college is really going to cramp my parents style. lol</p>
<p>I missed this thread the first time around and haven’t read the whole thing, but one way to make sure your kid isn’t out late is have him/her get a job. Ds had a 9-4 for more than a month, so he didn’t even try to stay out late knowing he had to be up early for work. If he went out weekenights he was usually home by 8ish. His friends did things like play volleyball/bowl/ultimate in the afternoons and then dinner afterward. Since they aren’t in school and ECs until 6 every day, they were able to get an earlier start and so finished early.</p>
<p>Ds was home for six weeks, since before T’giving until this weekend, so no trial run for us. Thankfully, he came back the same easy, fun kid who left in the fall. We had a wonderful visit, and I’ll miss him terribly when he leaves in 41 hours. But who’s counting? ;)</p>
<p>Both kids took 18 credits this semester. Son got all As. Daughter got all As except for 2 Bs. Hubby and I were thrilled. DD worked so hard this semester she lost about 10 pounds. S also lost weight and looked absolutely exhausted when he came home.</p>
<p>So they can sleep as long as they want and eat whenever and whatever they want. They can also stay out as late as they want unless the weather is bad provided they let me know where they are past midnight.</p>
<p>I am so very proud of them and I am not going to bug them.</p>
<p>My son got a job with UPS as a driver’s helper but they were so disorganized, he couldn’t deal with it. They wanted him to call in at 7:30am and say he would work, and they promised to call at 8:30 with his assignment. But they wouldn’t call until later, then they would call back and say he couldn’t work, then call back and say he could, then finally give him an assignment, then call back and change the location and then the driver wouldn’t show until 45 minutes later and it would be a different location.</p>
<p>It was hard enough for him to get up at 7:30 am, but this run around drove him crazy. Two days was enough, so he quit. Instead he has been focusing on filling out applications for internships for spring semester.</p>
<p>We have never had a lot of rules for our kiddos, other than mutual respect and of course NO drinking & driving. Neither kid drinks much anyway and neither drinks AT ALL if they may need to drive.</p>
<p>S has not been going out much & D is good about letting us know roughly when she’ll be home. She & her friends like to get a lot of sleep, so she’s generally home by midnight or shortly after. Both kids have been sleeping in A LOT, so we know where they are. LOL! Have no complaints really–S is just resting up while he waits for his final security clearance & has been helping declutter our house & with a bit of house painting. D has about 3+ weeks & is working to complete her incomplete so she can start off the semester with a clean slate.</p>
<p>I’m currently a college freshman home for winter break until January 24th. My parents do not enforce a curfew for me (I generally arrive home between 2-4am) and are okay with me staying out. I tend to let them know where I am just out of respect and habit, but they don’t worry if I don’t. Why would they? I’ve been away at college without their watchful eyes for months now and survived just fine.</p>
<p>D is one of the few sophomores back on campus for a winter break research internship. She is definitely having mixed feelings. She is giving up rest and relaxation but gaining experience and knowledge about herself.</p>
<p>Curfew? H and I have never really had to “set” one but at the same time our kids pretty much know not to push the limits of the house. S is 23 and D is 19. What we do demand is communication. Now, at the same time, if my child were coming in a random late hours I would be making it clear that that is not acceptable in our house. Yes, in college kids stay out to all hours but that does not mean they get to disrupt the house by continuing the habit while at home. My attitude is if they want to stay out partying to all hours then they can get their own apartment and pay all their own bills. If they are part of our household, then they need to respect the other members of the house - primarily those who are paying the bills ie the parents.</p>
<p>It is pretty easy to just come in quietly without disrupting anyone else in the late hours. It’s not as if one quietly opened door will suddenly shake the foundation of the house.</p>
<p>All I want to know at this point is, when do they leave? I love them, but I want to get back to the routine (I also want my HS age son to get back into the HS routine and stop acting like he is in college too!)</p>
<p>Last year’s winter break was a month, and while S2 was actually pretty nice to have around he was terribly bored and so ready to be back at school. This year they only have three weeks but he’s working full time. Next year he may take advantage of Jterm. We do miss him terribly, and love having him home, but a month of unstructured time is just too long for anyone.</p>
<p>YDS, Oh for crying out loud! Normally I do read the comments because they tend to be quite entertaining. Now I feel I have to explain that S2’s FT work over break (as the responders seem to think it quite ‘absurd’) is at an internship he’s had for three summers. He knows the firm and work well. There’s no down time or training. He’ll walk in and have work on his desk. These people need to get a grip. A) They are reading the NYT so they can’t be that far removed from the realities of kids going away to school and having adjustments their first major break back, and B) Most of them seem to have hs kids so all I have to say is wait your turn before you speak what you think is truth. ;)</p>
<p>I love my boys, but have been unable to charge my iPhone or Macbook since they returned home. Moments after their arrival, all chargers go missing.</p>
<p>My son worked almost every day over this break at the part time job he has had since he was in high school. And thank goodness he did as he would have been bored out of his mind otherwise. Even with him working so much, I cannot wait until he goes back to school on Sunday!</p>
<p>My son is living at home while he attends school, so I’m enjoying the break. Don’t have to worry about whether he’s studying, sleeping, etc.! He’s been particularly helpful, since he knows I do a lot for him while school is in session.</p>
<p>So true. And somehow the car is mysteriously low on gas within days of my filling up the tank.</p>
<p>I LOVE having my son home, but 4.5 weeks is too long for someone who is sleeping till noon and doesn’t have a consistent job. He has done some projects here and there for a carpenter friend, and has helped his parents with things we would have to pay for otherwise, but still. Also, I miss having a good night’s sleep and not staying half awake waiting for him to roll in at all hours.</p>