If you have a teenager living at home with you, you have probably realized that they require their own space, and you require yours. There is not a teenager that does not crave privacy from their parents and any other siblings that happen to live with them. They are often prone to mood swings due to hormones and trying to cope with the growing pressure from school (and parents) to get good grades.
However, you can help them with this particularly stressful time of their lives by providing them with their own specific area in your home that they can call their own. Of course, you will have to draw their attention to the point that if you are not allowed to enter then they are going to have to keep it clean and presentable to any guests that they may have.
#1 Provide Comfy Seating and a Coffee Table or Nest of Tables
Depending on whereabouts in your home you choose to become your teenagers ‘property’ will determine what type of furniture they have and the size of each piece. However, it should come as standard that there is some kind of seating facility included.
Of course, the mind will race to a couch (and there are some compact designs on the market today), but if there isn’t enough room for this, there is always the extremely comfortable beanbag which can also be stored away when not in use.
With this in mind, your teen is going to need somewhere to place their drinks and snacks, and if the room is tight, then a nest of tables could be a far better option than a full-blown coffee table left in the middle of the room.
#2 TV and Games Station
Every teenager will require a way to let off steam, and a games console can provide that. Of course, for this, you are going to need to invest in a TV, which can be mounted on the wall. Providing your teen with access to movies and other TV shows will also help your teen move their head away from schoolwork and provide them with some stress relief from time to time.
#3 Make It Personal to Them
The space that you create will need to be personalized to them, giving them free rein on the décor will most certainly save you the job of getting the paint rollers out and will provide your teen with valuable experience of what to do and what not to do when decorating. However, you should most certainly provide them with a space-warming gift – something that they can call their own and that suits their personality to a fine tee. You can do this by gifting them a t-shirt quilt made from their old and unwanted t-shirts, which can either be laid on their bed or cover an old, tired couch.
Final Thoughts
You may find that with the retreat comes a new level of calm to your household, although you may see less of your teenager than you previously did. However, stressful outbursts at younger siblings, arguing over TV channels, or your teen’s embarrassment of having to share the living room with others, other than of course their guests will become a thing of the past.
