Summer Vacation and kids sleeping all day!

[shortbun]

1pm is the limit here. My son's natural clock has him up late and sleep late. He has trouble sleeping otherwise.

 

[JennaTX]

Two kids 9 and 6. I'm a SAHM so we go into full "summer" mode.

The kids stay up until around midnight, although the last hour or so is laying in bed and watching a movie. They sleep until around 10:30 or so. Then we jump in the pool.

Like others have said, it is summer, a break for them not to have such a strict routine!

 

[Kim1964]

DD#1 and I just had a go around about this last night. She thinks she's going to sleep until noon every day, but that is not going to happen. I haven't decided if 9 or 10 is going to be the max, but I tend to do my housework in the morning before the house gets too hot, and that includes running the vacuum cleaner. I'm not postponing those activites until she gets up.

 

[Nancy]

It's summer if they want to sleep I let them. I did the same thing when I was a teen. My 16 year old is usually up by 12. The other 2 are older and work so they get up if they need to work, sleep in if they can.

I wish I could sleep in! I'm off of work today and tomorrow...what time do I wake up? 7am just like my work day. Laid in bed for awhile and gave up and just got up.

I just wanted to add, that if I'm home and they are sleeping I don't alter my schedule at all. I will run whatever appliances I want and make as much noise as I want. Their doors are shut. I don't clean their rooms so them sleeping in doesn't affect that at all...keeping their rooms clean is their job.

 

[Buckalew11]

Sleeping late here is sleeping until 9 or 10:00 am.

DD is usually up pretty early because her life beings earlier. Camps, volunteer work, PT appointments etc.

I'm thankful I don't have to deal with someone thinking her going to bed at 7am is ok. Geez...

 

[KristinBelle]

No, they sleep normal hours.

 

[HM]

Mine are 13 and 15. This summer, on weekdays they are given a 11 pm bedtime and midnight for weekends. They don't sleep past 9:30 most days....usually the 15 year old is up earlier. They both have parttime jobs that keep them from being too lazy anyway.

 

[jen0610]

DS14 and DD12 know that they have to be in their rooms by midnight and lights out at 12:30. DD is pretty good about getting up 9-10 o'clock. She knows if her brother isn't up by 11, she is to call me on my cell and then go wake him up. He's less grumpy if he knows I am on the phone and can hear him.

On the weekends, they can stay up later, but they know that I will wake them up at whatever time I want and need them up to do family stuff.

 

[vettechick99]

I remember sleeping a lot in the summer. Especially in that 12-15 year-old span when I was too old to "play" with friends and too young to drive and hang out. I remember sleeping til at least 11 or 12, and then not getting to bed until after midnight. I also remember spending a lot of time in front of the tv and that annoyed my mother, but I didn't feel like there was anything else to do! I was bored silly.

I have read that teens sleep patterns are much different than kids and adults. They need that extra morning sleep, and they turn into nght owls. So blame biology and don't push the issue too much. Last thing you need is a tired and grumpy teen!

 

[worm761]

DS is 13 year old. If he is not up at 9am, I go wake him up. He has a bed time too. In bed, lights and tv off at 1030pm. There is no reason for him to be up all night. He isn't allowed on the computer that late, tv isn't really appropriate for their age group, and there is no need to stay up all night playing video games.

The times that I slept all day as a teen were when I was working the late shift. When you don't get off work til 3am then sleeping late is acceptable. My dad always told us "If you want to hoot with the owls, then you can soar with the eagles." Working late night shifts were the only exception.

 

[pweyl36]

Nope, my kids don't sleep all day. I don't allow them to. Up by 10am, no questions.

They also have to go to bed by a reasonable time (11pm at the very latest). Since their normal bedtime is 8:30 during the school year, that's pretty generous.

Just because it's summer doesn't mean the rules fly out the window.

Same here,dd11 go's to bed around 10:30 or 11:00pm,and is usally up about
9:30. DS7 go's to bed @9pm. but he is usally up around 7-7:30am.

 

[raysnkaysmom]

DD#1 and I just had a go around about this last night. She thinks she's going to sleep until noon every day, but that is not going to happen. I haven't decided if 9 or 10 is going to be the max, but I tend to do my housework in the morning before the house gets too hot, and that includes running the vacuum cleaner. I'm not postponing those activites until she gets up.

Oh..I wouldn't alter my schedule..lol. Vacuum still goes!


And... when I woke up with DS this morning at 4:30am, my girls were STILL up!! I said that's fine...you're up at 10am.. we negotiated 11am.. LOL
But, woke them up at 11, and they have been fine all day! Hopefully they'll wear out by midnight and we'll be on a decent routine again (until they go to their dads this weekend again )

 

[mickeyboat]

My DDs are 8 & 9, and although we relax bedtimes during the summer, they still have bedtimes, and we stick to them. Besides the fact that they generally have activities the next day that they need to be rested for, DH and I need some quiet time without them, which doesn't usually happen until after they are in bed.

 

[SaraJayne]

My DDs are 8 & 9, and although we relax bedtimes during the summer, they still have bedtimes, and we stick to them. Besides the fact that they generally have activities the next day that they need to be rested for, DH and I need some quiet time without them, which doesn't usually happen until after they are in bed.

Same here. Which is why they are typically in bed by 9:30 (11pm is for a very special reason ). DH and I need quiet time and with their activities, they need rest.

 

[KAMLEM]

I have read that teens sleep patterns are much different than kids and adults. They need that extra morning sleep, and they turn into nght owls.

I read the same thing and I really think it's true. My DD's are 15 and almost 13 and most nights during the summer they go to bed between 12 and 2. The younger one is usually up by 10 and the older one usually sleeps a little later. My only condition is that they DON'T be loud and wake me up. If they were staying up until 7 a.m. I wouldn't like it.

DGD will be 11 in the fall and I'll bet (well - I know) there are days that her mom "wishes" she would sleep a little later..

My kids didn't sleep late at 10 years old, either. Give her 2 more years and I'll bet she'll be sleeping in.

Nope, my kids don't sleep all day. I don't allow them to. Up by 10am, no questions.

They also have to go to bed by a reasonable time (11pm at the very latest). Since their normal bedtime is 8:30 during the school year, that's pretty generous.

How old are they?

 

[The Mystery Machine]

Other...of course.

We play it by ear, really. My 18yodd's job doesn't get her home till almost 1am sometimes so she sleeps till about 11ish and then gets up to get ready for work at 3pm.

My 12yodd is usually up by noon, unless we have stuff to do. Then I will make her go to bed earlier if I can. Most of the time I am asleep so not sure what time she goes to bed.

The youngest one was our "morning person"....not anymore, she is into the teen sleeping pattern.

 

[ORMom2Four]

Maybe I'm a strict mom? My teens need to be in bed by midnight at the latest during summer. Normally we all go to bed sometime between 10-11pm. (the little boys are in bed much earlier)

There are times that they are allowed to stay up until the wee hours of the morning playing video games, but that's only on special occasions.

I start to bang on their doors around 10am if they are not up.

 

[Daydreamer64]

I don't understand why parents feel the need to control every second of their kid's life.

Why do they call from work to make their kids get up- are they missing something important?

Are the parents feeling that if they have to get up to go to work to support the kids, that at least the kids should suffer too and not be allowed to sleep in since the parents aren't allowed to sleep in?

Really, are the kids hurting anyone by sleeping in? They sure aren't up to trouble if they are sleeping.

The "I need some down time" statement confuses me. I need to spend time with my kids.

My DH works long hours and he gets home in the late evening. He might see the kids for dinner and an hour or two if he sent them to bed because "they need their sleep" and "I need my time".

I've never understood parents who see their kids for a few hours after being away all day and wanting the kids to disappear and leave them alone.

I'm reading a lot of my kids aren't alowed to stay up or sleep late but I'm seeing that most of those parents have pre-teens, younger kids, or they themselves have to work outside of the home.

When my kids were that age they weren't allowed to stay up very late because they would always get up early even if they hadn't had enough sleep, which created a long day of frustration.

Our family members are robots for 10 months of the year following the school times and so on.

I allow my kids the freedom to listen to their bodies for a few months each summer.

In my experience, and I have plenty of it as I am the oldest child of 18 adopted kids, teens are pretty self sufficiant and don't need Mommy tucking them in at night.

Mine have to be fairly quite but can stay up as late as they want to stay up. I've noticed that they are in bed by 3 most mornings and are up around lunch time.

There's a big difference between pre-teen and teens- their bodies seem to go into a different rythem when they are in their teens.

If they have no camps, jobs, and so on, who cares if they get 8 to 10 hours of sleep while the moon is up or the sun, as long as they get what they need and keep up with any requirements that you have for them, like chores.

I'm seeing a lot of "I don't keep quite but clean and so on even if they are asleep"- I don't either, my life goes on - I don't worry about summer sleeping issues, there are so many other bigger problems teens can get involved with.

To each their own but I don't have any issues with allowing my teens to sleep in as late as they want.

Just a side note, my three year old stayed up until 1am last night and I went to bed at 4am because I wasn't tired yet. We both slept until noon and all I can say is I feel great and very well rested.

When I turn off the alarm and I let nature dictate my sleep, I'm a ball of energy.

I have no stress over bed times and we love the freedom of just being allowed to sleep and enjoy life on our own time terms.

If they had a job, then by all means things would be different. I've been a sahm for 16 years now so we don't have to fit into or follow other people's schedules.

That being said, what difference does it make when a teen gets their sleep as long as they get it.

When was the last time that you were able to just exsist without a care in the world?

It's a really nice way to live, and I feel sorry for everyone who needs to have a clock tell them when to go to sleep and when to up just because it's *blank* time.

I used to be a slave to society and time just because I thought I needed to be up at whatever time- it's so much nicer to stop the madness and let your body determine if you need rest.

As I stated in my first post, the kids are on the edge of being old enough to start working so I choose to let them enjoy their freedom for these last few summers before they have to grow-up and get up at the crack of dawn to go to work.

Just so you don't think we are slackers on a regular basis here's a recap of my first post:

My oldest boys are 15 and 13- I am a sahm so I have no need to control their sleeping habits at this time.

They are straight "A" kids in all gifted classes and both took college courses at the local University during the school year and still maintained their "A's".

The school year is very stressful for them as in addition to their advanced classes, they are both contracted to play for the county youth Orchestra and have other club activities during the year to contend with.

So for us, until they start to work, summer is for letting go and following their natural sleep habits.

I used to sleep all day and play all night when I was a young teen.

The way I see it they will have to join the "work every day as an adult" group soon enough and I don't have any issues with them staying up to the early morning hours as long as they get their chores done daily.

They are having a ball playing Wii with their other friends who have the same freedom!

They have to stay indoors and must not make alot of noise, other then that- I let them have the freedom of no schedule.

 

[DawnMarie]

DS's(14 & 16) are supposed to be in bed during the summer by 11pm. Problem is they take naps during the day then can't fall asleep. So after DH and I are sleep they resurface to eat us out of house and home.

Last night DH got up in the middle of the night, 3am, to find the sixteen year old still up. Claimed he was just about to go to bed .

Maybe it's envy on my part but I hate have leaving for work everyday when they are still curled up in bed all snug and warm.

 

[mickeyboat]

Daydreamer - I won't quote your entire post, but have a couple of comments.

Keep in mind my kids are 8 & 9. One of the OP's children who is staying up until 4:30 in the morning is also 8, so although my children are not teens, my experience is relevant to this thread.

I enjoy spending time with my kids, but I also enjoy spending time with my DH without them. My kids will be living elsewhere in about 9 years, but I figure I still have another 30 years with my DH, so it is important to nurture my relationship with him.

It is not simply a matter of banishing them or not wanting to have them around.

My children do need to get up and participate in activities which happen during the day during the summer. They cannot function without adequate sleep. Besides that the entire world operates during day time hours and I want my children to interact with the world, even during the summer. They also need to be prepared for the responsibility of living a responsible life filled with work, taking care of children, etc. It's a fact of life.

Sure there are times when it is completely appropriate to stay up late and sleep late, but I would not want my children to make a habit of it.