Don’t you love when you give a command or tell your child they have to do something and after they ask why, you don’t have an answer? I have discovered that oftentimes I make decisions as a parent without really thinking it through.
That was a recent issue here in my home as I told my teens before school let out that they weren’t going to be staying up all night and sleeping in until noon the next day. Not much was said until summer break started. The first few days I would wake my kids up by 9 a.m. but then I was asked why. Why can’t they sleep in?
Guess what? I really didn’t have an answer…other than the lame, “Because I said so.” So then I began to really think about it. Why don’t I want them to sleep in late? Because I’m an early riser and I think everyone else should be? Is it because I think it’s a sign of laziness? I hadn’t really given much thought to the reason behind it but now that I was confronted with it, I had no choice but to address it.
The truth was I didn’t have a valid reason. It is more of a personal preference than anything. The reality is that when they do sleep in late, it makes for a quieter house much longer…what’s so bad about that?
I also realized that I can’t make them go to sleep when I do. I won’t be able to control when they finally nod off, so if I wake them early, then they are not getting adequate sleep. And oh how we know that people need good sleep.
It really doesn’t interfere with anything, them sleeping in late. It’s not like they have somewhere to be (that would be a different story) and they get up early all school year. So what’s the big deal?
The more I thought about it, the more I realized it really isn’t an issue. But I was making it into one. It doesn’t hurt me or them to sleep in later. So I have since withdrawn my parenting decision.
What about you? What do you think? Should teens sleep in late during summer?
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