[email protected]

Hello.
I have been no-mail for ages but am curious to see how other
unschooling families deal with bed time and wake-up time.
We have four children, ranging in age from 11mos to 14 yrs. When
left to their own, my children seem to want to stay up late and
sleep in. That would normally be ok with me, as I'm usually a night
owl but since the birth of my newest baby, I seem to be on a
different sleep schedule. I'm also finding that I want my house at
night, without little people running around and getting in my
face. LOL!

So I'm just wondering what limits or routines others may use when
dealing with bed/rise time.

Thanks!

Warmly,
Sherry in NJ
West Jersey Homeschoolers
http://www.geocities.com/westjerseyhomeschoolers/WJHSindex.html

Mary

From: <Mamaperk@...>

<<So I'm just wondering what limits or routines others may use when
dealing with bed/rise time. >>



My kids are 18, 9, 8 and 3. So I don't have the scheduling thing like you do
with such young ones. BUT, when I or my husband need some quiet time or time
alone, and someone wants to stay up, we compromise. They stay up if they
stay in the playroom or their bedrooms. Generally at that time of evening,
(later than 11:30) they aren't being loud. Usually they stay in their rooms
and we tuck them in and say goodnight. They stay up until they want to and
we have our alone time as well.

As far as getting up, we only schedule that if there's something going on we
really want to do the next day early. Like a trip with our hs group. Next
week we have 2 early for us things to do on Mon. and Tues. So starting on
Sat.we will get up a little earlier so that by Mon. we are prepared!!!
Waking up early that day with no preparation has us all rather cranky. Trial
runs for a few days has us much happier and not tiring out the day of the
trip.

Mary B

Pam Hartley

> We have four children, ranging in age from 11mos to 14 yrs. When
> left to their own, my children seem to want to stay up late and
> sleep in. That would normally be ok with me, as I'm usually a night
> owl but since the birth of my newest baby, I seem to be on a
> different sleep schedule. I'm also finding that I want my house at
> night, without little people running around and getting in my
> face.

First, the bad news: it's their house, too, and your decision to bring in
another little sleep-deprivation-bundle was yours and your husband's, not
the "little people" whose sleeping preferences are suddenly inconvenient
through no fault of their own.

Now, the good news: it's your house, too, and the bottom line in our house
is that we have a history of trying to help each other with needs and wants.
So open a dialog, explain what you're concerned about and what you'd like,
ask them to do the same. The more people in a family, the more needs and
desires to juggle, but I think it's worth the effort. There is a difference
between a true need (Dad must be up for work at 6 a.m., or Jimmy is down
with the flu and requires peace) and a want.

I try to remember that the assembling of this family I'm in was the idea of
the two adults in it, not the children who were brought in without their
prior consent to our quirks.

Pam

Aimee

Have your alone time in the morning, instead! That
worked really well for me. It did take some getting
used to, tho.

~Aimee

<<I'm also finding that I want my house at
night, without little people running around and
getting in my
face. LOL!>>

the_clevengers

--- In [email protected], Mamaperk@c... wrote:
> Hello.
> I have been no-mail for ages but am curious to see how other
> unschooling families deal with bed time and wake-up time.
> We have four children, ranging in age from 11mos to 14 yrs. When
> left to their own, my children seem to want to stay up late and
> sleep in. That would normally be ok with me, as I'm usually a
night
> owl but since the birth of my newest baby, I seem to be on a
> different sleep schedule. I'm also finding that I want my house at
> night, without little people running around and getting in my
> face. LOL!
>
> So I'm just wondering what limits or routines others may use when
> dealing with bed/rise time.

Our kids natural bed times change with the seasons. This time of year
they seem to be up later because the sun is still out and they like
enjoying the evening hours. Robert Louis Stevenson wrote a poem about
this, called "Bed in Summer", it always sounded so sad to me:

In winter I get up at night
And dress by yellow candle-light.
In summer quite the other way,
I have to go to bed by day.

I have to go to bed and see
The birds still hopping on the tree,
Or hear the grown-up people's feet
Still going past me in the street.

And does it not seem hard to you,
When all the sky is clear and blue,
And I should like so much to play,
To have to go to bed by day?


In any case, it's pretty understandable for kids to want to still be
up when exciting things are going on. If there's something I need or
want to do by myself in the mighttime hours, I just tell the kids
they'll need to play on their own, read, or whatever. I can get out a
game or puzzle or something else for them to do if they're not
occupied.

This time of year, my alone time is usually in the morning, before
they wake up. But because my kids inherited DH's non-sleeping gene
(he only sleeps 5 - 6 hours a night), I need just about as much sleep
as they do, so I don't get a lot of time without them awake, to be
honest.

Tonight, DH is out of town and they're both going for a sleepover. I
haven't slept in an empty house in years and year. Wondering if I'll
even sleep tonight!

Blue Skies,
-Robin-