Do You Have a Teenage Zombie in Your House?

Is this your teenager?

Why is it that teenagers think they need to stay up late at night? Why do they think something will happen in the world that they will miss out on if they go to sleep? Isn't that why we have TiVo, the internet and even newspapers that will inform you about every global event that happens while you sleep?

Although I'm the proud father of two teenagers, I frequently wonder why they stopped valuing sleep somewhere around their ninth-grade years? Why do they think they are all grow-up if they can stay up until a ridiculous time?

I have to admit that my eldest son suddenly realized somewhere around his senior year of high school that he felt so much better when he got a full night of sleep and that school even seemed easier so I still have hope for my youngest son. I am currently worried though, since my kids are spaced four years apart and I have experienced about four consecutive years of this teenage behavior, that I am at risk for zombification as well.

I have tried to educate my kids on how your brain grows while sleeping during your formative years and how a lack of sleep can also lead to weight gain and poor academic performance, but honestly... how well can you reason with a teenager? With that being said and if you know me very well, as my kids do, I won't give up easily and I'll find numerous "independent" sources to back up my claims concerning the benefits of sleep. Given this fact, my youngest son has a new reading assignment brought to him by Larry Ferlazzo's Websites of the Day entitled The Best Resources for Helping Teens Learn About the Importance of Sleep. Hopefully, an independent third-party will have more influence on my kids than someone that says those things just because I'm "Dad."

Click Here to find 30+ resources for helping teenagers learn about the importance of sleep.