to think getting up early isn't an indication of moral superiority?

[MaryJObliged]

I do get up early most days (between 6 and 6:30am) so I have time to walk the dog and go to the gym before my long commute to work or so I get more time to work when I work from home. But I've never seen this as some kind of positive side to my character or indication of my moral superiority. I just do it because it's practical for my life.

My mother, however, is of the opinion that people who "lounge around" in bed until 7 or 8am are lazy bastards who don't know that they're missing the best time of the day. When she comes to stay on weekends she'll stand at my living room window first thing (say about 8-8:30am) commenting on all the drawn curtains and the lazy buggers asleep when they could be cracking on with accomplishing things.

This is a very odd attitude to me but I've found quite a few people in my life share this perspective. Am I being unreasonable? Or am I, in fact, morally superior because of my early mornings ?

happypoobum - come on back, it's still a life of party boats, carnival and champagne brunches (at least some things never change!!)

When did you leave here?

Oh the champagne brunches!! Every Sunday!!!

I left in 1995 so a long long time ago I took part in Pirates Week, must have the photos somewhere, was part of the Am Dram scene and worked for Z99 and Cayman Airways (totally outs self)

I really enjoyed my twenties

Oh, you know Z99 just celebrated its 25th birthday? You should call them up and do a recorded happy birthday message - still going strong, it's my morning radio station!

I didn't arrive until 2008 in my twenties, and nearly 10 years later I still love my life! If you ever want updated pictures let me know, I can PM you some, so much has changed!

That would be great - thanks so much!
Apologies to OP for sidetracking the thread!

Great thread!

My office is a 10 minute walk from my front door. I start at 9am. Therefore I get up about 8.30am. (Except when the cat jumps on my head and wants fed at 5am but I go back to bed afterwards).

I can easily stay up reading til after midnight. I've always been a night owl. When I used to get bad hangovers, I often slept 15hours straight.

I agree there's a perception about morality. Eg people who come into the office early seem to get more respect than those of us who come in at 9am but stay til 8pm. Or maybe that's just my prejudice because my (lark) mother thinks like that.

Wasn't there a study recently that found that night owls are more intelligent and creative than morning people? My computer is acting up, so I can't search, but I'm sure I read something like that. Show your mom that and tell her to hush. :)

Totally agree. If it was then DS has most beat getting up at 5am some mornings

Wow, I can't believe how many people have commented on this! It's obviously something that other people've experienced as well

'Ha ha Expat I love the heat. Don't take my cardi and boots off until it's over 25 degrees!!'

I've always hated it. Grew up in a semi-tropical place and so of course, have been to Latin America and Caribbean many times. Last year we went to Grand Cayman in Summer. I thought I'd melt. Barely lasted. Found a tasty curry place, though. Going back in July (Caribbean), plan to stay in the A/C as much as possible. Just . . . uggh.

I am a night owl and I just cannot stand it when I hear people to come into work and say 'afternoon' to people when they get in at 9 and then harp on about how early they get in. Luckily I am the boss and always make a comment about cote hours and the people who come in later still do the same hours. Often more.

I understand that people have different sleep requirements, and that it's nothing to do with morals.

I know a couple of people who think themselves to be far more sophisticated and creative than others because they habitually stay up all night. This is just as annoying.

And going back to the Southern US in Summer - oh, the joys! I forget and leave stuff out instead of putting it in the fridge. The mozzies, the roaches, the humidity. But it is nice to walk around barefoot or pull on a vest top and shorts, slip feet into flip flops and be 'dressed'. No need to pack jackets in case it rains, wellies, a jumper or long-sleeved top, the kitchen sink. It's lovely to take a cold shower after being in the sun, drink litres of iced tea and have a BBQ any time. Don't like hurricanes, though.

It is quite competitive where I work.
I get up at 5:30-6am
Many people I know go to the gym or for a run while I am mooching around or reading a book.

Yanbu. Point out to your mum that people like me will be lazing in bed until 5pm as whilst she was lazing in bed overnight we were working on the night shift.

My dad threw a glass of water over me in my early twenties because I was in bed at 8.30 on a Saturday morning. Twat.

Agree there's a generational thing to the moral superiority of early rising - perhaps it's also a class thing - frm what I gathered from my grandparents' generation, working class woman who were 'decent' got up early and cleaned the house before they went off to work. My gran certainly always got up at 6 so she could do 2 hours of cleaning before having to go to work. Working class 'slatterns' would stay in bed until they had to go to work, and would be deemed 'lazy' because they didnt keep their house nice.

Middle class woman didn't have to get to work so could do the housework during the day, so perhaps the 'moral supriority' didn't seem such a big deal.

I'm 35 and had my first lie-in last month. In 35 years I've never slept beyond 6am, not because of any sort of desire to be awake at bat-shit-o-clock but because my body just doesn't enjoy much sleep. I went to bed at 8pm one Friday night in May after a super-shitty day as I was exhausted. Woke up the next morning at just gone 10am and it was the best I've ever felt.

MIL and my parents are all early risers, but the smug sort who say "have you only just got up" as though making me a lazy wastrel.

My annoying MIL will be clanging around being useful and productive, and making damn sure we all know it at the crack of dawn. This is quite often accompanied by loud complaining about how she can't understand why people waste their lives lazing around. By about 6pm she's in her pjs and is often snoring away by 6:30pm I have attempted to explain that we get up later than her but are awake for about five more hours and actually do stuff throughout the whole day, not just a whirlwind of 'doing' at 5-6am. Urrghh

I love early mornings because it's so quiet.
It's like a secret time that few know about. Nicer than late at night because I feel energetic in the mornings.
I like to take my time, have some fresh coffee, catch up with emails, listen to birdsong,check the news, a shower at leisure and still be out of the house before 8am.
Weekends are even better, on a Sunday I can do my weekly shop at 8am, lovely and quiet, all the fresh bread still warm, come home to hang out laundry and still have the day to enjoy.

I wonder whether the 'half the day is gone' thing has its roots in the days when most things closed at 5pm (and didn't open at all on Sundays), so there genuinely were fewer hours in the day to do things?

But now, when some shops are open 24 hours, and many more places are open for long hours, having a lie-in doesn't mean you haven't much time to do things - if that makes sense.

Early birds do as a general rule act morally superior. They call night owls lazy and try and bring those owls round to their pattern of sleep.

I as a night owl have never forced or even tried to force an early bird to stay awake late when they want to sleep but they have no problem trying to get us out of bed early.

They also fall asleep on the couch by 9pm for a nap of at least 2 hours. No bloody wonder they wake up so early.

On my days off I might not get up until 9.30ish. On the weekends im not working I often don't get up until 10.30-11.00.

I am a night owl. I don't fall asleep until the early hours of the morning.

My MIL gets up at 5.00am and goes to bed at 9.00pm. To me that sounds horrid. I love my evenings and hate morning, but it works for her obviously.

I have had my later mornings commented on by a few people. If I am not at work and I don't need to be anywhere what's the problem? I used to choose late shifts when I was able to pick my shifts so I didn't have to get up at 5.00 am.

freeniki, I can;t imagine getting so worked up about other people's sleep habits. Why does it bother you so much?

I can't understand people who get up early when they don't have to!

A couple live down the road from us in their early seventies. She is a bit of a battleaxe to put it kindly and can often be heard chastising her DH (a very quiet chap) on how he's pegging washing out etc. She is obsessed with this and walks past with husband dutifully in tow every morning to be at the shops when they open at 8 or. 8.30 am. I prefer to do any shopping/ errands late afternoon and do any housework and work from home first. A couple of times l have needed to walk up early and when she sees me she's all 'Bloody hell, did you fall out of bed' etc.etc. She obviously really thinks she is superior. Gets right on my tits it does and one day l will grow a pair and think of a good comeback