Wow, as for bedtimes I am more strict on that one, my kids have earlier bed times up to 16, then they get to stay up and decide when they are tired. Now dd will love that, she goes to bed and reads untill she falls asleep or dh or I turn off her light. ds10 though really needs his sleep to stay focused.. like his mama, we sleep for 6-8 hours and are fine, but he is supposed to be in bed by 830 max, lately he has been later as we do church activities until 9 so I am trying to encourage him to sleep past 6, HURRAY that finally happened last week! 7 is a much better number, gives me 1.5 -2 hours alone! How many hours do YOU spend on computer personally? And since someone mentioned kids being up, ARE YOU UP when your kids are? Just curious cause I cant go to sleep if I know my kids are up, they are not aloud online when we adults are not up or home either. There are too many predators out there and kids accidently get to the wrong sites is why.
Yes I am alwasy up when my kids are. Grace is only 4 and usually her bedtime is 9pm. If she has been cranky that day it will be earlier. If we have company or she and her sister are playing nicely or watching a video together we will allow her to stay up for a while. Samantha is very easy to get up in the morning and I never have a problem with her so she gets to stay up. She doesn't want to stay up after me. She likes for me to tuck her in at night so she usually goes to bed at 10. If I were to tell her at 9 I was going to bed she would go too because she doesn't want to stay up after me. If she has a sleepover she and her friends have been known to stay up till 3am. As long as they do not wake anyone up by being loud I don't care.
Yes, I am up with my kids. We all get up at 6:00 AM. Phillip and Faythe read in their rooms from 8:30-9:00, and bed at nine. Rachael is a half-hour later. Sometimes Phillip will decide to go to bed at 8:30 instead. On weekends, they're often up a bit later, but not too much. On Saturdays, the kids will get up before Carl and I, and watch a video or play a game on the computer. They know where they can go on the computer, and what they can play. They usually get up around 7 or 7:30 on Saturdays. Also on Sunday, since we have church on Saturday nights.
Our bedtimes are 8 for the little ones, who sleep till 7 or 8 in the morning, and take no naps usually. Garrett just got bumped from 8 to 9 and on certain nights he can stay up till 10.. like last night... because he and daddy were watching a show.
I put Xander to bed when he needs it. Sometimes as early as 7, but never later than 8. The older two go to bed at 8 - 8:30. I never go to bed while they are awake. They have too much energy at night and would get into mischief. Mornings are a different story. The older two wake somewhere between 6 and 7am. I get up when the baby does. Also between 6 and 7. This means that some days (like today) the older two are awake up to an hour before me. I am usually aware they are up and can semi-hear what they are doing, even while I sleep. Upside to a ranch style house...lol. They are so groggy in the morning that they don't really do anything beyond sit and watch their shows (no cable, so they only watch PBS). Each night before bed I prep a tray of health snacks that they can eat if they are up before me and hungry. I cover it and leave it in the fridge. They know that's the only thing they can eat and have never bothered with anything else. They think it's cool that I allow them to 'get their own breakfast snack'. This has been a great blessing to me. Some mornings, even an extra 20 minutes of laying in bed only sort of asleep makes a big difference in my mood.
Okay, so jackie your kids are around my kids times, I felt like I was stretching the hours to later when I didnt want to so took ds10 home for two of three nights out a week now for us. It helped him to behave and sass me less.... He is enjoying school again, after a few days last week I was ready to throw in the towel till I remembered he needs catch up sleep days! He will run on nothing, but kinda like me we NEED our sleep or we get ... uh PUNCHY? I am really fun on retreats cause I dont sleep away from home but 3-4 hours ..so little sleep and lots of activity so I become animated and really a riot! lol, Ds is the same way, but he gets cranky and whinny and sassy.. I am curious how the people who mentioned they have no bed times sleep themselves? It is really interesting kids sleep patterns and thier parents sleep patterns match. Dd needs her sleep she sleeps in to 8, until this week she is trying to change it to 7 with a really loud alarm! haha! and as for sleep overs... That is the only time I take down my timeschedule, I tel the kids 10 pm in bags on bags whatever , then they can either play games or watch videos, if they are too noisey I make it be a movie that will put them to sleep hahah a real gripper. I can't go to sleep with someone elses kids in my house I feel responsible for them and thier behaviors.. mind you ds' friends are kids you have to make sure dont eat you out of house and home during the night hahah, so that may be why.. but also my little brothers would sneak out and smoke and who knows what else as kids, so I dont give them the chance. I am probably over protective but oh well hehe
TMom, I am the same way---I can NOT sleep when my kids are up or when we have other kids here for sleepovers! We set bedtimes. ds16 can basically go to bed when he wants. He has NEVER slept much, and does fine. But ds14 is one of those that needs his sleep or he becomes a growly bear, and has a hard time handling life in general. My dd actually ASKS to go to bed when she feels tired, so I don't really worry when she goes to bed. I more have a set time for ds14's sake. I don't tell them that of course, and she is fine with a set time. Though it varies somewhat, we have a routine at night, so I think it helps them be able to sleep better. We have them brush their teeth and get their pj's on, then we have worship together, then they go to bed. That all helps them wind down by the time they actually get in bed. As for computer time, we limit that, otherwise they focus on it too much, which we really don't want. The exercise and doing things together and with friends is more what we encourage. But I agree with what Jackie said as well: Do what's best for you!
Grace won't even get out of bed in the morning until I come get her. If Samantha gets up no big deal - she's 11. She will watch tv and get her own breakfast - of course that is only on weekends.
