Schedules and Bedtimes

[Ceili]

[elliemaejune]

[Theodore]

[Ceili]

[elliemaejune]

[momo3boys]

[Miss_Kristy]

[4given]

[Ophelia]

[sunnie_skys]

[Jazzy]

[FCMomofaBunch]

When I was in Junior High/High School age, I found out that I was a true night owl and a late sleeper. I could sleep until noon if I was allowed to. Public School isn't that flexible. I have read that teens need a lot of sleep. That is one of the many, many reasons I am for homeschooling. Maybe your son isn't a morning person and wouldn't function effectively in the morning, so let him get his sleep and when he wakes up, he will be able to focus on his studies, possibly being more efficient in his work.

OK, ok, I know this doesn't teach the children how to work in the real world, working the 9 to 5 grind, but they can learn how to adjust themselves when they're adults, or modify their work schedules and find a career that allows them to work when they are most productive.

[Shari Nielsen]

There are quite a few schools in the area that are switching and bringing the younger kids in earlier and the older kids in later b/c they need more sleep or at least different hours - more activities during the night hours and more sleep in the morning hours.

[ROCKWELL]

In our home there are several distinct circadian cycles at play. My wife is a night owl and takes a while to get going in the morning, like our 11 year old son, whereas I frequently wake up just before dawn and am ready for bed no later than 10 or 11. Our daughter who is four goes down around 10 pm and sleeps hard until 8 but wakes up ready to go, while the eight month old goes to sleep at 8 and sleeps like a log until dawn, but then wants to get going.

We've all learned to accommodate to each other's unique sleep patterns rather than to try and alter them and frankly it works. Each of the parents gets a specific alone time with each of the children based on this- I love to hear my wife fill me in on the conversations that took place at midnight between our son and her and I really look forward to getting breakfast and spending some quite time with the two youngest as each one wakes up.

It's easy to get caught up in what kind of schedules are expected of people as opposed to what works best for them.

[kevinsgirl]

This is such a refreshing discussion!

I am a night owl through and through, but I've found that sometimes morning people tend to be a bit supercilious about that (Ahem, dh). I also don't function well on a schedule & I used to be a public school teacher whose day was marked by bells every 50 minutes!

I echo what Ophelia said about a list of goals/tasks to be accomplished during the day, instead of a 'schedule'.

We also sort of do what Rockwell said, where dh lets me sleep until 8/ 8:30 & he gets up with the kiddlets. That's a huge blessing, even if I do get grief about it.

It's hard to change the traditional way of thinking; that the early bird catches the worm & all that... It sounds like your son is thriving by being given the gift of working with his own inner clock...