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Parent left worried after 12-year-old thinks their bedtime rules are ‘unfair’ during summer vacation

The parent sets boundaries with their 12-year-old during their summer holidays, but has qualms about their parenting ways.

BY TIYASA BISWAS

PUBLISHED 6 HOURS AGO

Mom shows authority over the cellphone for boundaries and parenting for the child. (Representative Cover Image Source: Getty Images | Jacob Wackerhausen)

A parent (u/TAtheDog) turned to the internet for help when their 12-year-old daughter had a meltdown about her bedtime during her summer holidays. Even though they had to put their foot down on the decided bedtime of 11:30 p.m., the daughter’s complaints and their wife’s nudging about making a compromise urged the original poster to ask for opinions from strangers about parenting advice on Reddit. In a post with 2,100 votes, the parent opened up about their dilemma and revealed their 12-year-old’s reaction to her reduced screentime ahead of bedtime.

Parents scolding their daughter.(Representative Image Source: Getty Images | Design Pics)

The Reddit user disclosed that their 12-year-old began complaining about her bedtime as “unfair” because all her other friends were allowed to stay up late. Apparently, her friends did not have any “bedtimes,” whereas she was compelled to sleep by midnight with every device and mobile phone turned off by 11.30 p.m. “For context, I have her devices set to start turning off at about 10:30 pm. Phone first, then iPad, consoles, computer, and TV. By 11:30, all her devices are turned off. And she should be in bed sleeping by midnight,” the viral post stated. However, the parent could not understand their daughter’s woes because he considered midnight as “more than reasonable” for a kid of that age.

Teenage girl checking time in smartphone at night. (Representative Image Source: Getty Images |fcafotodigital)

For kids, summers are meant to be relished every day, but the parents did not want the daughter to be awake all night on her phone while she sleeps during the day. “I don't want her staying up late because it's nothing but trouble, especially online,” the parent penned. One night, the daughter had a “meltdown” and cried, calling her parent “mean” and unfair for imposing those nighttime restrictions on her. Even their wife suggested they should “compromise,” which left the parent in a state of confusion. Receiving over a thousand comments on the post, the parent had several insights to skim through and evaluate their course of action.

(Image Source: Reddit | u/Generic_Villain1)

The popular opinion was that 12 a.m. was a generous bedtime for a 12-year-old, as many parents generally go by 10:30 p.m. for a kid of that age. “I thought you were going to say you make her go to bed at 7. No devices after 10:30 is more than reasonable for a 12-year-old,” said u/fred4me2, while u/Avarenda noted, “A 12-year-old cannot be trusted to have the discipline to regulate their own sleep hours. 12 a.m. is already an extremely generous bedtime.” “When you said earlier, I was thinking 8 or 9 o'clock. Midnight is not an early bedtime,” wrote u/keesouth.

(Image Source: Reddit | u/MidwestNormal)

However, there was a fair share of people debating the parents’ fixation on bedtimes for a high school kid. “Oh, God forbid a child gets to actually enjoy their summer vacation!” quipped u/RepulsiveContract475, and u/Candriste said, “Idk, I semi-regularly stayed up all night reading at that age.” The parents’ Reddit post received a mix of opinions, with most suggesting that a midnight bedtime is appropriate for 12-year-olds.