Anonymous wrote:Could any of the desk proponents please explain why it matters?

I think of myself as fairly rigid/uptight/rule-following, but can’t fathom this for the life of me.

I did fine in grade school doing homework in the bed. By the time college came and the demands increased a magnitude and I was still doing problem sets on the bed, I was encountering a problem: I would fall asleep or be so tired to get any work done. Moved my ass to the library and did better.

I think homework in bed sets up bad studying habits that don’t translate well when the workload goes up.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get all the “I can’t imagine why a parent would care” posts. Really? You can’t imagine why a teen lying bed doing homework could potentially be problematic to getting their work done. Obv few would care if work got done. But the parents that do care likely have teens that are having trouble getting their work done. If my teen was lying in bed doing homework and it wasn’t getting done bc they were falling asleep, complaining of being too tired to do it, etc, the first thing I would tell them would be to get out of bed

Most people on DCUM are morons. That’s why they can’t imagine that a parent might care if the work isn’t getting done.

Anonymous wrote:I don’t get all the “I can’t imagine why a parent would care” posts. Really? You can’t imagine why a teen lying bed doing homework could potentially be problematic to getting their work done. Obv few would care if work got done. But the parents that do care likely have teens that are having trouble getting their work done. If my teen was lying in bed doing homework and it wasn’t getting done bc they were falling asleep, complaining of being too tired to do it, etc, the first thing I would tell them would be to get out of bed

What would you do if you found them snoozing with their head on their desk? Make them stand up while doing their homework?

In my experience, kids are motivated to do their work or not, and the venue makes little difference. I have also noticed that many kids get their work done at a pace that differs from what one or both of their parents may prefer.

I don’t get all the “I can’t imagine why a parent would care” posts. Really? You can’t imagine why a teen lying bed doing homework could potentially be problematic to getting their work done. Obv few would care if work got done. But the parents that do care likely have teens that are having trouble getting their work done. If my teen was lying in bed doing homework and it wasn’t getting done bc they were falling asleep, complaining of being too tired to do it, etc, the first thing I would tell them would be to get out of bed

Can’t imaging why I’d care. My high schooler has a desk, but usually does homework at the dining room table, living room floor, or couch. It gets done, so who cares. I used to do my homework in a tree sometimes.

My 14 yo does his homework on the floor in our family room. Pretty much in the same spot where he drops his backpack when he comes home from school. And a quarter of the time he gets on the phone with a few friends and they do homework together. He has a desk in his room but chooses not to use it. Not the best habit but not worth making it a battle.

Why? I did it--through high school and three degrees. It used to drive my mom crazy and I never understood it. Ironically, my kids prefer to work at a table. Who cares?

I have rarely worked at a desk at home. My desk has all my papers and stuff but I work on the couch or on the patio or sitting on the bed.

In high school, I got rid of my desk as I did almost all my homework and studying lying on the floor or sitting in a big captain's chair I had.

Kids can work wherever they want.

It truly never occurred to me that some people would try to micromanage their teens’ life in this way. Also I work at home half of the time comfy on my sunroom couch. Does that pose a problem for you too OP?

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Could any of the desk proponents please explain why it matters?

I think of myself as fairly rigid/uptight/rule-following, but can’t fathom this for the life of me.

Because if you ever end up with sleep issues, they’ll tell you “bed” is for two things that start with “s” and “study” ain’t one of them.

However, at their age, I’d rather they make that substitution and so we allow both to do homework wherever they can best get it done. One is and always has been a good sleeper. The other? Not so much but they’ve got a 4.0UW and seldom complains of being tired. Until they go to bed on a Saturday night at 7pm and barely make 10am Mass. Regardless, it’s not the battle we’re choosing to fight.

The fact that some people have sleep issues, and one strategy is to isolate their bed just for sleeping, doesn't mean that it's wrong for people to use their bed for other activities if it works for them.

I work from home and bring my work on to my bed at least half the time. I do not see the problem with it. As another poster pointed out, to me, it's crazy to think of a teen who has been sitting in hard chairs and desks all day, and in my case, on to extracurriculars that require enormous physical exertion, would not be allowed to do their work on a soft space.

Mine sits on the floor preferably near the fireplace. For some reason, it works for him. As long as he’s not too close to the fire, no big deal.

I wouldn’t care if there were zero issues with completion.

But in our case, I often find my teen asleep in their bed with computer open and homework half done. The logical conclusion is doing homework in bed isn’t efficient

Anonymous wrote:No but I do my work in bed too.

WHO CARES?

+1. I like everything spread out.

One used (uses) his desk. The other one rarely did homework. I wouldn't have cared where if he was doing it.

I used to read and make my own notes on my bed. Anything the teacher would read was done at my desk.

No.