Moving downstairs

Q: My 13-year-old daughter wants to move her bedroom to the basement, even though we have plenty of room for her upstairs with us. She’s a good kid, but she spends a lot of time online and on the phone. Plus, I often have to remind her to go to bed. Would it be a mistake to let her move downstairs?

A: Your daughter is looking for some privacy, which is perfectly typical and healthy for a girl her age. I would go ahead and let her move. Even though her room is downstairs, you can still make it a regular habit to go down to say good night to her. It’s best for computers to be in public areas of the house, so you can easily monitor how much time she is spending online. You can also put her phone in a room other than her bedroom, so she won’t be bothered by calls once she is asleep. It might be wise to insist she leave laptops and cellphones in the kitchen when she goes to bed too.