Being a teenager is not an easy task. Walking the fine line that is the cusp between childhood and adulthood is filled with peril on all sides. As teens and their friends pass their driving tests, it seems all they want to do is hit the ground rolling.
But when you make your family’s home a welcoming place for them, then you may find your teenager more willing to spend time at home. This is especially true if your family has some kind of a multipurpose area like a game or home theater room.
Adding a Theater Room to Your Home
The main thing to remember about the teenage period of life is that it is a time for children to stretch their wings and prepare for adulthood. This means being able to spend time with their friends over their family, and making their own choices.
Providing teens with a safe area in which they can hang out without having you hovering over them like a helicopter parent means they will be more likely to spend time at home. And because their friends are avoiding their families, they are more likely to hang out there, too!
One way you can do this is adding a room that has a home theater along with the family’s game console and some other fun options. If your family’s home does not have this sort of area, then you might consider adding one.
British mystery writer Agatha Christie once mused, “The secret of getting ahead is getting started.” But when it comes to adding a home theater to your family’s home, you will find that there is very little mystery involved in the process. Here are some tips to help you get started.
- BUDGET – Respect your budget. What teen wouldn’t enjoy an 82” television? However, going with a smaller television in order to add comfortable furniture and new video games can be a wonderful compromise. This also teaches your teen the value of money.
- THEME – Your teen might claim they are too old for a theme room, and that is fine as long as they respect the wishes of their other family members. Ask for their input. They may decide on a theme based on a popular video game versus a classic movie reels and popcorn motif.
- SNACKS – If you are going to have teens in and out of your home, then snacks are a must. You don’t always have to bake brownies or create snacks with marshmallows and puffed rice cereals. A cabinet of grab-and-go snacks and a mini-fridge with their favorite soda can make a lot of difference.
- VARIETY – A ping pong table, board games, gaming console, or some other activity besides watching movies can make a family theater room a lot of fun for teenagers. Paint a backdrop on the wall and create fun props to create a photo booth where they can snap pictures with their cellphones.
- FURNITURE – If you have teenagers then you will want furniture that holds up to a lot of wear and tear. Before buying furniture for your new home theater room, be sure and read online reviews and suggestions and consider recliners for small spaces if your room in not very large. You do not want to crowd the area.
Respecting the Rules
Let your teens know that they can hang out with their friends without you popping in every five minutes, as long as they do not give you a reason to do so. Teenagers and even young children actually want rules, because it makes them feel loved by their parents or guardians.
One rule you will not want to bend is the one about having alcohol or drugs in your home. Another is your family’s rule about movies that contain objectionable content. If you want the theater room tidied up before friends leave to return to their own homes, make that clear.
Rules are not a way to make things less fun for teenagers. They are guidelines for keeping your teens and their friends safe while in your home. Without rules, your home theater room would become the family free-for-all room, and nobody wants that.
Freelance writer Benjamin Baker lives in Colorado with his wife and their three busy, growing teenager children. Before adding furniture or other major accessories to their house they check sites like http://www.reclinerchairreviews.com for the latest reviews and advice. When he isn’t writing Benjamin and his sons enjoy visiting junk yards and antique shops in search of manly relics, camping, and fly fishing.
