Annie (AKA Hey Terra!) has been around long enough to have experienced a lot of what Life can dish out. But, it hasn’t been so long that she's forgotten what it's like to be your age. Check out some of the thousands of email questions teens from around the world have sent to Terra. You may learn something useful from her answers:
“My parents won't let me have enough time on the computer!”
(Continued)
Hey Terra,
Thanks! I'll try that!Bored
Dear Bored,
Good! The trick is to work with them to set up specific guidelines. Then, in order to keep your end of the bargain, set a timer on your computer for 5 minutes before your time is up, so you can wrap up what you're doing. Then when the last 5 minutes is up, get off the computer (for real).
Leave your room and go find one of your parents and let them know "My hour is up and I got off the computer." That will show them that you're adhering to the guidelines and it will increase their level of trust in you (always a good thing).
After you've consistently shown them that you can monitor yourself they will back off. (Which doesn't mean that you should then start ignoring the guidelines... NO! It just means that they won't be on your case any more because you will have taken responsibility for your own behavior.)
Good luck and please, let me know how it goes.
In friendship,
Terra
Need some advice? Write to Terra.
She'll give you a straight answer you can trust without any lectures.
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