Should you let your kids sleep in?

Hello hello! Allow us to change your lives for the better with this almost-too-simple parenting trick: let them be cold. Dealing with a major outburst every morning trying to get your kids to bring a jacket to school this winter? Tired of bargaining with them over something as silly as a parka? Just stop.

Pick your battles…and remember, your tween or teen isn’t going to freeze to death if they go one morning without a winter jacket. They’ll either 1) be fine without it or 2) get cold and quit the “I don’t need a coat today, mom” act.

 Should Teens Start School Later?

Imagine starting work at 4:30am every day. That’s what scientists say it’s like for teens who start school at 7:30am (which is almost one-third of them in the US). Why? Because of the way adolescents' bodies release melatonin, the sleep hormone that makes us tired—they get sleepy later…which means they need to sleep in later, too.

So how come so many schools start so early? Lots of reasons, from financial (more buses = more money) to scheduling. But it’s time we really weigh the costs of changing the typical school schedule—after all, sleep deprivation in teenagers is linked to mental health struggles, worse grades, traffic accidents, and plenty of other negative side effects.

That's part of why states like California and Florida and individual districts like this one in Tennessee (where school currently starts at 7:05am 🤯) have mandated or worked to enforce later start times. We’re curious, though…what do you think about the time your kids start school? Is it disruptive to their sleep schedule (or yours, if you’re their alarm clock)? Does it work for you?

And if you want more info on teens & sleep, we’ve got a great episode about what happens when our kids don’t get enough 💤 for our members of The Common Parent, our parenting community.

Delaware Takes a Stand Against Secondhand Smoke

A big step for protecting kids: The Governor of Delaware has signed a bill into law that outlaws smoking in a car if a minor is present in the vehicle—anything from vapes to cigars are now illegal to smoke in a car with a kid.

We talk a lot about teens smoking and vaping, but we sometimes forget that there is no safe level of secondhand smoke exposure, according to the CDC. Translation: Adults smoking around kids is dangerous, too. 

 Check Your Kids’ Phones for This New Feature

Time to go full Geek Squad on your kids’ phones. A new Apple operating system update includes a feature called “NameDrop,” which allows users to easily share their contact info with another iPhone or Apple Watch by holding the devices close together. While that kind of info-sharing can be super convenient for us, it can also be used against our kids.

If you want to turn off the feature, go to “Settings,” tap “General,” and then click “AirDrop.” Toggle the “Bringing Devices Together” option to off. Boom!

Want more on teaching kids how to use tech safely? This episode is for you (if you’re a member of The Common Parent).

The Truth About Weight Lifting for Kids

Have you heard this myth? That lifting weights can stunt kids’ growth when they’re young? We’ve heard it a ton, but we recently found out that it’s totally untrue! In reality, lifting weights (like a bunch of other forms of physical activity) can actually help your teen grow. This was a super helpful resource chock full of info on teens and weight lifting (safely!).

We’re all about making taboo topics less taboo…so why not talk about money, even with our kids? Today, we’ve got the perfect recs to start the conversation about moo-lah with your teens and tweens (and make sure your own financial plan is on track).

• Are you saving enough for your kids’ college tuition? Here’s a stellar rundown of the best ways to save for your kids’ college funds (and get a tax break or two).

• If your kids can burn through money like ours, you’ll love this interview with actor Sarah Michelle Gellar on how she’s teaching her kids that money does not, in fact, grow on trees.

• The Harvard-approved strategy for teaching your kids about financial literacy and money management.

• Is “soft saving” right for your teens? We’re kind of into this non-scary money strategy.