Reply from Karen, Child's Age 15 and 17 - 3/12/02 - IP#: 152.163.213.47Hello. I have two boys about the same age as Fredrick's nephews, and in many ways my family has chosen to go the same route as Fredrick' sister. For this reason, I've been following the discussion here with considerable interest. There are, however, a few things that concern me about how that situation is being handled. First of all, in the original posting, Fredrick mentioned that his sister told the two boys to come down in just their diapers and t-shirts. From my own experience, I find that teens are uneasy about appearing in public in their underwear, and I would magnify this when it comes to diapers. For this reason, our boys will wear pajamas or gym shorts over their diapers at night, and certainly when other people might see them. I am also concerned about her going up to check that they got diapered and that they don't horse around. At the boys' age, this seems to me an invasion of their privacy. I can't imagine them happy that their mother saw them naked or watched them change their underwear. Finally, I was bothered by the phrase "makes them wear their diapers" for trips. While this may be necessary and wise, at their age I don't think they should be "made" to wear them. I find that encouragement works much better than forcing the issue. While these may seem like minor points, they can make a difference between a resentful teen and a happy one, regardless of what they are wearing. |