Bed time

I know very few people who actually had a set bed time as a teen ager. Most of my friends remember having one when they were in early elementary school, but state that by the time they were in upper elementary school they didn't have to be in bed at any particular time.

And I remember this well as a child. In elementary school our bed time (by our I mean me and Bob) was 8:30pm. There were few exceptions to this rule. Even in the summer we were in bed early most nights. I remember going to bed some nights when it was still light outside. Now by light I just mean that it wasn't completely dark yet...but by no means was the sun still up.

But elementary school didn't end the bed time...we had a bed time in middle school too....9:00pm. :) That 30 minutes was a BIG deal. But every night by 9:00pm we were in bed with the lights out...very very few exceptions...even on weekends.

So you think...well surely by high school...nope...still had a bed time in high school....9:30 was the common time...maybe 10:00 on the rare occasion. Friday nights was the one exception with football games. And we could stay up on Saturday nights if we wanted. And phone curfew was 9:00...that was more for me than for Bob of course.

In high school most of my friends were up until all hours of the night...but classes STARTED at 7:30am...which meant getting to school well before then to get a parking space (once I was driving) and to socialize with friends before I was driving.

And while I might have complained once or twice I don't think I ever really meant it. I was never tired for school. Mom and Pop believed that we needed to sleep...a full night of sleep...every night...no exceptions. And when we didn't get sleep...say on the annual band trip I would come back sick.

Most of my students don't have bed times. And if you told them that they needed one they would protest for hours. They would say that they are old enough to make their own decisions. But then they come to school exhausted and can't concentrate.

I am glad my parents were firm about bed times. Even when I went to college I kept a bed time. When all the other people in the dorm were up until 1 and 2 in the morning...doing nothing but being loud...I was sound asleep. I had class at 8:00am. Now....I am not saying that I still went to bed at 9:30....but I was never really up past midnight....at least on a regular basis and when I had class!

So why am I rambling on and on about the virtue of bed time? Well...Nathan and I have been getting to bed by 9:00-9:30 for weeks now. We just feel better getting up at 5:30am when we go to bed early...and usually there is nothing on TV anyway...so why not go to sleep. Well...last night the varsity girls and boys basketball teams were playing games across the street at the new events center and I decided to go with him. We didn't get home until 10:45. That is late for a game to end on a school night in my opinion...especially when those kids have class starting at 7:30 the next morning...anyway...it was after 11:00 when we finally went to bed!

I am exhausted. I missed at least 2 hours of wonderful sleep...so instead of 8 hours we had 6 hours...

Most of you are laughing at me. That is okay. I have watched all those news stories on the virtue of getting enough sleep. I am happy to have my bed time and get my 8 hours. I like being well rested and not being tired during the day. It also keeps my number of headaches down.

So you can bet our kids will have a bed time...right through high school...just like I did. Like it or not it is good for them. And no matter what they say teenagers don't ALWAYS know what is best for them. That is why they have parents...and not enough parents PARENT today. So I will help my child build good habits for life. They have plenty of time after high school to stay up late!