squeakybiscuit

My 10 year old daughter is up all night and sleeps all day. She
spends most of her night watching ONDEMAND tv and surfing the net.

She used to be totally ok with this, except for the occasional day
when she wanted to go somewhere specific and was too tired to get out
of bed to make it there.

Lately, however , I think she's been very lonely on this shift, as I
am asleep during those hours.

Last night she woke me up 4 times! Once because she had read about a
pregnant man, and wanted to discuss how that was possible. Another
time to watch a youtube video of a video game she had found that had
creeped her out. Another to show me that she learned all the words to
a Japanese song (in Japanese!) that she had listened to on the net.

I think it's great she's coming to me when she is puzzled by
something, or finds something neat and wants to share it with
someone..but it's hard for me to be there for her at 3:30 AM!

I did talk to her a little about sleeping at night instead of day,
but she says she is not even tired at night, and doesn't know how to
make herself so.

I cannot stay up all night (though I did try to stay awake until 1:00
am for her, and woke up when she called me!) Today I am completely
exhausted! I don't function well on such little sleep.

I think she would like to sleep at night..but she's always been a
night owl, and we don't know how to straighten her out. Sometimes, we
can get it under control for about a week, but before too long, she
slips right back into it.

Any advice on how we could find a way to spend time together without
one of us losing much needed sleep?

Debra Rossing

Don't know that it would help necessarily but my almost-10 yr old son
has taken to being up much of the night and sleeping during the day (as
we speak he's asleep after having been up late/early - he greeted me
when I got up around 6 to get ready for work, he was already downstairs
watching TV - for whatever reason, he sometimes prefers getting up and
going downstairs to just watching TV in his room in the morning - and
had already fed the fish in the aquarium - then he fell asleep somewhere
between then and when I finished breakfast around 7:15). When there's
something he wants/needs to be up in the morning for, when he knows he
needs to get to sleep *before* midnight (and he's had the freedom to
explore the whole concept of 'enough sleep' since he around 4 or 5 when
bedtime went byebye), he generally just snuggles in our bed with us
instead of going to his room once *I* need to turn out the lights and go
to sleep (which is usually between 10 and 11). Yeah, sometimes he pops
in at random times (like the other night, he popped in 2 or 3 times to
tell me tidbits of whatever) but by and large he knows I need my sleep
to get up for work. If he starts feeling lonely, he knows he's always
welcome to come quietly snuggle in with us for the night or for a few
minutes or hours, his choice. I noticed that if he stayed in with us,
he'd fall right to sleep many times where if he chose to go back to his
room, he'd be up for hours longer so I try to deliberately encourage him
to stay and snuggle with me on nights before we have something the next
day (even if it's an evening event, since by then he's usually ready to
sleep and needs to be home and able to just curl up and sleep). I don't
even try to be "all there" at 3 am for DS - I'll wake enough to
acknowledge that he's talking to me but if it's something that warrants
further discussion, I'll ask that he remind me of it during the day so
we can talk more (most often it's tidbits about a plotline or a future
broadcast that he just found out about or whatever - like when he found
out that the entire Star Wars saga is going to be broadcast starting
soon (tonight?))

All that to say, perhaps find a way (discuss together) to encourage
earlier to bed when there's something she wants to do in the morning.
Oh, also, DS will sometimes request that I make him a 'relaxing
beverage' and I know just what he wants - take a cup of milk (dairy or
not as you prefer) and add a pat of butter (or butter like substance of
your choice, but real butter tastes best in this). Microwave for about a
minute, until the butter is pretty much melted. Stir in a favorite
sweetener to taste (we use honey or agave nectar but real maple syrup is
also really good here). It's usually just warm enough to sip right away
(not too hot) and it is quite relaxing even if non-dairy milks don't
have the same 'sleepy' chemical in them, the warmth is often enough to
relax things - it's also very soothing to a dry or scratchy throat (but
not so good if there's a lot of mucous involved). Plus, I'll usually sit
there in the kitchen with him while he drinks it so it's a way to unwind
in the quiet as well. Yeah, he could do it by himself (he can handle the
microwave like a pro when he wants) but having me there seems to help (I
try to 'exude' sleepy thoughts/vibes at him lol).

Deb


**********************************************************************
This email and any files transmitted with it are confidential and
intended solely for the use of the individual or entity to whom they
are addressed. If you have received this email in error please notify
the system manager.

This footnote also confirms that this email message has been swept by
MIMEsweeper for the presence of computer viruses.

CNC Software, Inc.
www.mastercam.com
**********************************************************************




[Non-text portions of this message have been removed]