Is your teen having fun?

[Anonymous]

DD has an active social life, does well in academics and is involved in her school but I feel like HS these days is so stressful for everyone and at every step kids are thinking about grades and college. Is your child having the same experience or do you think they are more carefree in their high school experience?

[Anonymous]

My teen is having much more fun in college than he did in high school. He's playing a club sport, doing a few Intramurals, enjoying his classes, meeting new people, having fun on the weekends. He's a high stats kid from a high performing FCPS high school. He's got more free time in college, for sure.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My teen is having much more fun in college than he did in high school. He's playing a club sport, doing a few Intramurals, enjoying his classes, meeting new people, having fun on the weekends. He's a high stats kid from a high performing FCPS high school. He's got more free time in college, for sure.

Same for our DD. Our DS is a HS junior, saw the hell his sister went through to have a perfect GPA/APs/SATs, and is instead having a lot more fun in HS.

[Anonymous]

My kid is having a lot of fun in a MS with very low academic expectations. He struggled socially before so I tell myself that the social growth is at least as important as academic. I kind of believe myself!

[Anonymous]

I have high school junior and I don’t think it’s very stressful for her. If anything’s affecting the fun, it the preponderance of social media. The “fun” a lot of kids are having seems performative. They’re not really present with each other in a way one needs to be for really organic fun.

[Anonymous]

My JS senior is enjoying her year. She’s got applications done and stays on top of her work. She continues with her sports and has excellent grades. There are
Moments of stress but it’s not bad.

[Anonymous]

My kid is only a sophomore, but yes, he seems to be having fun. Very busy between schoolwork, sport, and band, but appears to enjoy it all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:My kid is only a sophomore, but yes, he seems to be having fun. Very busy between schoolwork, sport, and band, but appears to enjoy it all.

My sophomore sometimes has a little too much fun. Enter twice weekly tutoring.

[Anonymous]

I have two very different kids, one is a current high school senior and the other is a college senior. They both had a lot of fun in high school. The older one was a high achiever, but she told me at the beginning of high school that she was always going to make sure to make time for a social life and activities that were important to her and not study all the time. That served her well and she ended up at a super selective college as a bonus. Second kid is more middle-of-the-pack academically so it’s easier for him to be a social as he wants but he keeps himself busy. Obviously, I want kids to take their education seriously , productive members of society. I also really want them to find happiness and satisfying human relationships.

[Anonymous]

Nope, My Junior has a lot stress; it’s hard to manage everything with so little time. Homework, extracurriculars, a job, sleep, working out, social life. She has to be very efficient. All her friends are the same.

[Anonymous]

It’s very up and down. Stress stress fun fun fun then stress bc they had too much fun and didn’t get stuff done then fun bc the term is over and gotta burn off steam
Not much in between but teens are dramatic

[Anonymous]

My teen had a great time on the whole. I would have preferred had she done a bit more work and a bit less socializing, but it is her life and her choice. She did enough to get into a good college. We will see how she does there…

[Anonymous]

11th grade DC is feeling the pressure of the pending application situation this summer and paying attention to every point on assignments/tests but they’re also having fun and working to get their work done so they can have fun. Busy extracurricular, busy social life, volunteering.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I have high school junior and I don’t think it’s very stressful for her. If anything’s affecting the fun, it the preponderance of social media. The “fun” a lot of kids are having seems performative. They’re not really present with each other in a way one needs to be for really organic fun.

Agree

[Anonymous]

My 11th DD having a ton of fun. Maintaining straight As in schedule full of APs, passionate about her ECs, awesome large friend group with few who she's super close and connected with. Took her a while to find her tribe but now she's so happy and they are awesome, compassionate, and fun people. Having the right friends seems to be key to happiness. Doesn't do much social media...just texts mostly. She stayed true to who she is, didn't try to impress anyone, found kids she really relates to and her friend circle is relatively drama-free and they do stuff in person. Connected to her family too. Was not always an easy road as all people have challenges, but she even says she is so happy.