Teens and Long Showers: What Do They Do In There?

on October 29, 2009 at 1:21 PM

Photo by Shinde-Kudasai

My childhood home had a well that was constantly running dry, so whenever my showers exceeded four minutes, my mom would bang on the door until I turned it off. Can a teen girl even rinse the soap from her hair in that amount of time?

So when my husband and I bought our first home, one of my criteria was town water and excellent water pressure so I could luxuriate in a steamy waterfall whenever I wanted. (Sorry, green folks, I get few pleasures in life, and long showers once in a while is one of them.)

I think angiebooboo's son has a pretty good deal -- a SEVEN minute shower limit, that's TWICE as long as I got! Seriously though, angie's up against some steep water bills -- $300 a cycle! -- and is trying to find ways to cut back.

Teens love long showers. One mom in Connecting With Your Teenager says she's thrilled if her daughter gets out of the stall in under 30 minutes. Another mom joked that she was going to start putting the water bill in her son's name, ha! Or maybe that's not a joke at all ...

What are the shower rules, if any, in your house? What do you think teens are really doing in there?

Related posts:

When a Brother and Sister Share a Room

Is Privacy for a Teenager a Privilege or a Right?

About the author Cynthia Dermody

is The Stir's Managing Editor who has trophies in her home for her skills at the Irish Jig. She makes cupcakes with as many fattening ingredients as possible, doesn't comb her hair for months at a time, and was probably a faerie in a former life.

Filed Under: teens

Comments (18)

ethans_momma06

on Oct 29, 2009 at 2:21 PM

When I have a teen, if the waterbill gets to be an issue Ill probably institute a 10 min. shower limit 6 days a week with a longer shower allowance one day. Of course...you have to find what works for your family!

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momavanessa

on Oct 29, 2009 at 3:09 PM

My 16 year old sister has to take a shower 30 to 45 mins.!! My mom bangs the door and it still doesn't work! My mom has no control over that girl!!

RAZmom88

on Oct 29, 2009 at 4:01 PM

We have no shower limit, I've never really timed them. We have a well so no water bill. I really have no desire to know what my sons are doing in there. My daughter is washing her hair, shaving and just enjoying alone time.

MomIWant

on Oct 29, 2009 at 4:11 PM

Our house problem is not the length - it's the temperature. Both my teens loved hot, hot water & would constantly forget to turn the exhaust fan on so after their shower, the paint would be melting! haha

tinab37

on Oct 29, 2009 at 5:39 PM

My 16 year old son takes LONG showers..25-30 min! sometimes twice a day with football. I agree with a previous comment about not really wanting to know what he's doing in there, lol. He does sing alot, haha :)

CherBearCM

on Oct 29, 2009 at 5:53 PM

We don't have to pay for water or at least not the amount we use, it's a set amount for everyone. It's the gas that heats up the hot water that we worry about, so if the 'well' runs dry it costs a lot to heat up that tank again. My daughter so far is pretty good, she's out in 10-15 minutes.

Momof3cuties

on Oct 29, 2009 at 11:10 PM

I DO NOT want to know what he does in there or what my older son did in there, although, I once found evidence of what he did in there & almost threw up....needless to say, he cleaned the tub & shower while DH supervised....anyway, my oldest would drain the hot water tank!!!! Now that he's on his own, there has not been one cold shower, bath, etc! My 17 yr old takes about 7-10 minute showers so I have NO complaints with him...oh & my water bill has gone way down!!!!!!!!!!!!!

justanotherjen

on Oct 30, 2009 at 8:08 AM

Mine are teens yet but I remember what I did in the shower...just stood there and let my brain wander. It's what I still do. Given the time I can stand under the water until it runs cold (turning it up a bit as it cools). That takes about 45 minutes in our house.

But we had issues with our water bill when we lived in PA and we also had issues with our hot water heater (despite what the landlord said). We got about 25 minutes max of hot water and then another 5 of lukewarm water so every shower I took was rushed for the 2 years we lived there. I hated it. And if one person took a shower it took the entire day to build up enough hot water for another shower (longer than a 5 min. shower anyway). Same goes for washing dishes. If you did dishes in the afternoon there wouldn't be enough hot water for a shower before morning.

LelandsMommy

on Oct 30, 2009 at 1:20 PM

My kids aren't teens yet. When I was a teen I had to wash my hair, shave my legs, and of course wash everything else. The water would usually start to get could before I got out. I can't even imagine a 4 min. shower limit! My sshowers are STILL usually well over 20 min long... it just takes that long to get everything done!

Solera

on Nov 1, 2009 at 12:59 PM

My son isn't even a teen yet...he is 7 and he spends over 20 minutes in the shower or longer and that's with me reminding him to wash rather than play. He plays with the soap acting like it is a fish or what have you or starts washing the tub with his soap instead of him..