Big Kid-Small House

by Stephanie Schade

Your home used to be big enough. When your kid was small, even though his toys were everywhere, they were small toys. His room was big enough for reading and sleeping even six months ago. But somehow in the last few months your home has shrunk. There just isn’t enough room for everything that has to happen in it and moving is NOT an option.

Your teenager is working on schoolwork, yes, but he is also working on developing a sense of identity, exploring who he is as an individual and maintaining friendships outside of the family circle at a time when socializing isn’t really possible. To accomplish this he will need privacy and  place where he can virtually hang out with friends, can crank up the volume, be alternately silly and morose, and just be alone to process what’s happening in his world.

What all this means in square footage terms is that, ideally, each teenager will have a room of his or her own, however small, and that the family will find a space in the home for teens and their friends to let loose a little while remaining within parental radar range.

Believe it or not – a full length mirror is an essential addition to your teenagers room. One of the developmental tasks of every teenager is figuring “who I am”. Providing a full length mirror allows your teenager the privacy to spend time experimenting with his look.

If square footage is really tight can you go up instead of out? A loft bed is a great way to allow a room to perform double duty and sleeping raised to the ceiling also feels quite private. A desk and chair can fit underneath with a bookcase in front. Again – some private space that creates more of a classroom environment.

The nice part about having a teenager in a small space is the amount of time you spend together. Because there isn’t a lot of room you are frequently rubbing elbows  in a casual way which gives you the ability to chat without the pressure of “having a meeting”. Teenagers need space to themselves but they also need time to spend with you.

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