Comments on: Study Confirms, Early Bedtime Makes Mother Less Crazy

By: Anglophile Football Fanatic » Blog Archive » Date Night & Other Myths of Parenthood

Tue, 24 Jun 2008 02:20:37 +0000

[...] must mention, Jennifer did a similar [...]

By: Terri

Terri — Sat, 21 Jun 2008 07:23:00 +0000

I am also new here and came across this post. I have to laugh because I have been on both sides of this debate at different times in my kid’s life. When she was under one, Mom and Dad were both working and she clearly wanted time with us before she was willing to crash, so had a 10 pm bedtime for the longest time. We didn’t mind so much since we liked getting the time with her. Then bam, one day she started going to bed at 7. Now that was nice to have the Mom n Dad time, but it made for really hectic evenings trying to get her home, fed, and bathed. then we moved to Hong Kong and she started in on the 9:30 bedtime again, but was taking really crazy long late afternoon naps. Then bam, one day she moved to her big girl bed, dropped her nap, and started going to bed at 7-7:30. Once again I love our evenings, but there are many nights where she just doesn’t see Dad. So, I used to be one of those crazy people out late with their kids, and I knew people thought I was crazy, but it worked for us, and now it works for us too. By the way now we live in Hong Kong where I have never seen so many kids out late at night. It’s crazy. The city has so many bright lights maybe people think it’s daytime.

By: flickrlovr

flickrlovr — Mon, 26 May 2008 07:38:08 +0000

The family I sit for regularly, whose kids are 4, 2, and 6 months, go to bed at 7pm. And thank you Jesus for that. After 4 or 5 hours, dinner, baths, playtime, reading, etc. I am wiped out! I don't know how you parents do it day after day. I love those kids, but even I am sometimes counting down the minutes 'til bedtime. The baby sometimes stays up a little later, since he often takes a weird evening nap (something he's gotten into a routine of doing with his parents) but now he's starting to go to bed around the same time as his siblings. I have a friend who babysits for a 4 and 2 year old who essentially have no bedtime. They're allowed to stay up as long as they please, at 4 and 2, often going to bed as late as 11 or 12, 10pm on a good night. They often take 4 hour naps during the day because they're so tired. No wonder. Their parents drag them around town, running errands, etc. until they finally fall asleep in the car late at night. Pretty sad, if you ask me. At least I know how I want to raise MY kids when I have them. flickrlovr's last blog post..Words to Live By Weekends

By: CanadaMom

CanadaMom — Mon, 26 May 2008 07:00:50 +0000

Well, my 2 are still young, the oldest being in an afternoon preschool class… so yes, they stay up to 9pm. We tried putting them to bed later and earlier, and it doesnt affect the time they wake up. I get home at 530 and I guess I enjoy hanging out with my kids in the evening, its a nice break from my day at work. I work full time and my husband is at home, and the kids are a little clingy when I get home, so i guess that might be why I have no issue with keeping them up. Bug 9ish is my limit. I know when kindergarden starts the bed times will change.

Plus my 2 love going to the store, they are rarely cranky. I can’t imagine however dragging them there at 10pm however.

But, yes, you are being a little judgmental. I suppose many parents get like that. Everyone thinks their way is the best way… for their kids.

The day I get ‘tired’ of my kids is probably the day we go into family therapy. I can’t imagine thinking of them that way.

By: Dawndela

Dawndela — Mon, 26 May 2008 05:42:44 +0000

I am new to this blog, but I like it so far. I am one of the abnormal ones. My oldest is 7 and she goes to bed at 8, after getting off the bus at 5, homework, dinner and bath. She gets up at 7:45am. Her younger brother is 4 and will not sleep. I have had trouble getting him down at a normal time since birth. He was a happy baby to be out at 10 or later. Wal-Mart was like a sleeping potion for him. We would go and then, poof, out like a light. He wakes at 10am normally. The baby is 2 and goes to bed between 9 and midnight. He sleeps until around 9am. No matter what time they go to bed, they all wake at around the same time daily. My husband works second shift and gets home at midnight, I am a night owl, so I think the bedtimes work for us. Dawndela's last blog post..Still sick

By: ourcrookedtree

ourcrookedtree — Wed, 14 May 2008 01:37:50 +0000

I could have written this post! Hubs' fam used to give me a hard time because until Little Man was 2, he went to bed at 6:30 or 7. Only recently did he get to stay up until 7:30 and that is becasue The Babe goes down at 7 and we want big brother to feel special. My kids get up at 7ish regardless when they go down and I am a firm believer that they need at least 12 hours at night and a LONG nap in the day. Not only do I hate to see kids up late around town I hate to see them around town during nap time. Sleepy hungry kids equal crnaky kids and mom. ourcrookedtree's last blog post..One Carry On Per Passenger Please

By: Sunday Monday Linky Love | The Bean Blog

Sunday Monday Linky Love | The Bean Blog — Tue, 13 May 2008 04:21:11 +0000

[...] What time do your kids go to bed? Mine are in bed by 8pm on school nights. Partly because they need their rest, but mostly because, like Jennifer, I need my sanity…or I mean, mommy time. [...]

By: Robin

Robin — Sun, 11 May 2008 17:01:06 +0000

My 4 and 7 year old go to bed at 7:00. My 20 month old goes to bed between 7:30 and 8. My oldest 2 boys go to bed at 8:00. They get up at 5:00 during the week so that we can get out the door and I can get to work by 6:30. If they were able to sleep later, I'd modify the bedtime a little for the older ones, but not by much. But not for the younger ones. They need their sleep. When they lack sleep, they get crabby. When they get crabby, I get cranky. When I get cranky, they get in trouble. I like my quiet time in the evening. When the last one is in bed, I usually sit for a minute and enjoy the quiet. It's my time at that point. I know that there are some that have no daily schedules, and are able to sleep in longer, and in that case, I can see a later bedtime. But for us, early works. Robin's last blog post..Another project completed

By: Laura McIntyre

Laura McIntyre — Sat, 10 May 2008 17:48:23 +0000

We have always done early bedtimes here to and i have no idea how other parents survive. Its not yet 7pm here and both my girls are sound asleep, i would not be able to cope without my evenings - i can manage anything during the day aslong as i know my evenings will be free and my time. Laura McIntyre's last blog post..La La La

By: Meghan

Meghan — Fri, 09 May 2008 20:47:39 +0000

My kids go to bed when they are tired. For the twins (5 y.o.) it’s usually sometime between 9 and 10pm, sometimes later though rarely earlier. DS (2 y.o.) usually goes to bed with dh somewhere between 8 and 9pm, maybe a little later on the weekends.

I stay at home, dh works from home, and we homeschool, so we’re really free to sleep when we’re tired and wake when we’re refreshed; no schedules to stick to here. The older girls and I will sometimes go to the store or a late movie if we’re all wakeful and in the mood, but most nights we’re home in our jammies by 8pm.

I don’t really feel a need for “me” time in the evenings. Our kids spend one night a week at my IL’s (two houses down from us) so dh and I can go out to dinner and have some time to ourselves. I work the things I like to do into our days; I’ll read a bit in a book while the kids play on the floor, I’ll work in the garden while they swing on their swingset, I’ll have a nice cup of tea in the kitchen while they watch their favorite show in the living room.

Oh yeah, we eat when we’re hungry, too (so we rarely all eat together as a family, although we’re together nearly all the time) and our kids have always slept with us (we bought dd’s their own bed last week, but they have yet to sleep in it alone.) Somehow, we were still able to conceive ds

Meghan’s last blog post..Friday Fill-Ins for May 9, 2008