Monday, August 8, 2016

How To Keep Teenagers Happy




This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BTSSpirit #CollectiveBias




I cannot believe it's almost time for my kids to go back to school. I feel like summer just began. But at the end of this month, yes, they'll be in school.

My son Tommy is 14 and is going into ninth grade--high school--and I'm trying not to panic about it:




My daughter is going into fourth grade:




It's going to be an adjustment for Tommy, who has been sleeping in until about 1130. Now he's going to be up early and I imagine he's going to get cranky.




Honestly, teenagers can be rather moody beings no matter what happens. You can just look at them and they'll be like, "Why are you staring at me?" You can ask a simple question and they'll snap in reply. Once I asked how my son's day was and he barked, "Fine! Geez!" It seems you can't do anything to keep them happy.

I realized, though, that food seems to please Tommy since he seems to be eating all the time.

He really likes M&M's® and with the M&M's® Milk Chocolate Bottle he can take his treat on the go. He plans on re-filling it with the Party Size bag of M&M's® when he runs out. I imagine he'll take it to school with him when he goes back.




He especially loves the Mixed Mini Variety Bag. We all do! Everyone needs some chocolate in their life. You can easily slip a piece of the candy in a lunch box.




We found our MARS products at Walmart in the candy aisle:



Except for the M&M's® Milk Chocolate Bottle which was right by the check out:





I decided to come up with ways to get my teenager to smile in case anyone else was struggling. There have been moments where I wonder if I'll ever see my son's smile again. When it appears on his face I want to shriek and clap but I can't, because it would only mortify him and the smile would go away. So I have to inwardly cheer.








1. Feed them. Obviously my son won't always get chocolate, but when he gets an A on a test or does his other chores without complaint, he can get a treat.


2. Take them to see a movie. We recently saw the new Ghostbusters movie and loved it. My son's favorite character was Patty. He laughed pretty hard at her antics. We also were thrilled with the cameo appearances from past Ghostbusters. You can find Ghostbusters themed packaging in stores now! My son was enjoying some M&M's® as he watched it.



3. Create their own container with foods that belong to them. My son sometimes complains that other people eat his snacks, so now he can place his stuff in the container and no one will mess with it. Maybe. We all grab for the chocolate at times. Oh, and good news! Be sure to look for an in store coupon with a savings of 0.75 off 1 M&M's® bottle July 17-September 30. 







4. Offer them delicious cereal choices in the morning before school. Tommy has always loved Kellogg’s Froot Loops™.  He usually has two bowls.



You can find them in the cereal aisle at Walmart:




5. Give them space. They have to learn to do stuff on their own. You can't always be hovering. This can be difficult for me. But my son is going into high school and he's capable of figuring certain things out. (As in, getting his homework done without me hounding him.)


6. Be there for them when they need it. Sometimes a teenager will surprise you and want to talk. Like in the Ghostbusters movie, it's always nice to have someone you can depend on. I enjoy taking my son out on dates, just the two of us, so I can really hear what he's telling me. I imagine high school will come with some challenges and he knows I'm around to listen.




Teenagers can be fickle people. But with a little love (and food), they aren't too difficult to live with.




To learn more about Kellogg’s Froot Loops™ and  M&M's®, you can check out the following:

Facebook: @mms, @kelloggs



Have you seen the new Ghostbusters movie yet?

10 comments:

  1. Haha where is the box marked Amber's snacks?? I know you have one!! Lol

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  2. I love the "teenager's snacks" box! lol!

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  3. I love the snack box! Super smart!

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  4. Aw, this is so awesome! I giggled when you simply stated, "Feed them". I like the snack box idea, too.

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  5. Ha I love this post. My teenager (Well, almost teenager... He's nearly 12 going on 31 lol) is the same. He's happy when he's eating and he loves M&Ms also.
    Fruit loops are my favourite but gosh, they're expensive here in the UK. Occasionally the supermaret will have them on offer or at reduced priced, not all supermarkets stock them though.. Which is a shame because I love them, as do my three children :D

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  6. My little brother also complained when we (Mom) would eat his snacks. My dad thought he'd channel our uncle and start hiding food.

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  7. A snack box is a great idea! Growing up, I was always hiding food in my room so my family wouldn't eat it :)

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  8. Space, snacks, cereal, movies. YES!
    I haven't seen the movie yet but I want to so badly.

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  9. The snack box is the greatest idea ever...! I am still in shock he's off to HS, so I can't imagine how you're feeling!!

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Thanks for the comment!

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