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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Bedtime of 9.30 - 10.00 on a school night (Year 9) - reasonable?

26 replies

greeneristhegrass · 27/03/2018 12:36

DS's friendship group have become very chatty in the evenings by phone and social media. It is all very lovely and sociable but he was getting to bed later and later, so for school nights we recently introduced a deadline of 9.30 for the phone to be plugged in downstairs, and him to be saying goodnight and heading up to bed. We've said he can read until 10, though we don't go up and impose "lights out" so he knows he can read for longer if he wants to.

This seems very fair and reasonable to me, and he's accepted it up to a point, though gets very angsty on nights when the chat is just getting interesting by the deadline, or when he's had a busy evening with clubs and homework and less time to chat. Then we get "nobody else has to go to bed at 9.30!!!".

The small number of his friends' parents I know either impose a similar/earlier deadline (but they don't count apparently) or else are generally way too relaxed/naïve on a range of issues in my opinion.

So, please reassure me that 9.30 isn't unreasonable?! I do think he needs some phone-free wind-down time before sleep. He gets up at 7. The guidance (which he keeps quoting at me) is for his age-group to have 8-10 hours sleep a night, so there is scope to extend it a little (maybe in Year 10 as a reward if he stops moaning about his Year 9 deadline), but I don't think any kind of deadline is ever going to be popular.

OP posts:
Trinity66 · 27/03/2018 12:38

What age is year 9?

Trinity66 · 27/03/2018 12:39

My son is 13 though and 10pm on a school night is his bedtime

Arapaima · 27/03/2018 12:40

My DS is year 7. We've found that he sleeps better if he isn't on his phone just beforehand bed, so we say 9pm to put down the phone and 9.30pm bed. I'd be a little flexible if there was some lively chat going on.

Allthebestnamesareused · 27/03/2018 12:40

In year 9 we did 10pm and in year 11 we have gone to 10.30pm bedtime.

All electronics are left in the kitchen and some kids (You can see messages and time on home screen) are still on well after midnight/1am

Mrsdarcyiwish10 · 27/03/2018 12:41

My dd is yr 9 and bedtime is 9pm school nights and 10 on a weekend which i think is fair for her age

kaytee87 · 27/03/2018 12:42

What age is year 9?

Wishes people just put ages as there's different schooling systems in different countries

Tuesdaynightname · 27/03/2018 12:42

I have a year 9 boy, and our routine is exactly the same. Phone outside his room by 9.30pm, I know he's asleep by 10pm.

He never grumbles, though. Just tells his friends "got to go, bye" and that's that.

sydenhamhiller · 27/03/2018 12:43

My son is in y9 (14) and we aim for bed at 9.30. In reality, by time the telly gets turned off, he packs his bag, chats about all the stuff he was monosyllabic about between 4.30-9.30 when I asked him about his day, it’s more like 10.
I think the NHS website recommends 9 and 1/4 hours at this age - which landed much more effectively when I showed him and Y7 DD than me banging on about it. Grin

sotired2 · 27/03/2018 12:44

My ds is a similar age and 10ish is the time we say lights out sleep - the other night though he was in the middle of a game and we allowed him to 10.15. I think some of depends if he wakes up at 7 and isn't tired etc

We dont really have a time in hols/weekend so I think that helps ds accept week day time

TheVastMajority · 27/03/2018 12:44

my dfd is 14.

weekdays, we have a 9pm phones off, 9:30 bed, lights out when ready policy. Weekends its 10pm phones and bed. This is social services recommended guidelines.

Mrscog · 27/03/2018 12:45

It sounds reasonable but could you maybe flex to 10pm sometimes if he doesn't moan about the 9.30pm nights?

greeneristhegrass · 27/03/2018 13:04

@Trinity66 @kaytee87 - Year 9 is age 13/14.

OP posts:
Schroedingerscatagain · 27/03/2018 13:17

Ds year 9 and dd year 10 are off electrics at 10pm lights out 10.30 on school nights but have 30 mins more on Friday and Saturday

Ds will sometimes take himself off to bed earlier if he’s tired and get up at 8am so gets approx 9.5 hours sleep

Phones are plugged in on the landing not in rooms

QuizzlyBear · 27/03/2018 13:19

My son's year 9 - we have no electricals after 8pm then bath and bed. Lights out by 9pm!

He's up at 6.30, but this thread's making me feel draconian 😬

KaliforniaDreamz · 27/03/2018 13:21

DS (14) phone downstairs by 9.45pm then quick shower and bed. obv this means he's faffing until 10.30 when he suddenly wants to chat etc. it's hard. he's a night owl.

Tuesdaynightname · 27/03/2018 17:36

Just to add - DS has sports 3 evenings a week when he's not back in until 7.30-8pm. He usually eats, then spends an hour on the Xbox, rather than his phone. He's up at 6.30am, but it's clearly fine for him.

Mulberry72 · 27/03/2018 17:41

My DS(11) is Y6, he’s 9.30pm in bed at the latest Sun -Thur. Weekend it’s 11ish.

DarkBlueEyes · 27/03/2018 17:44

I have a year 9 daughter. She goes to bed at 9pm. She needs to be up at 6.30 so that gives her about 9 hours sleep which is about an hour short. I think you need to work backwards from getting up time and set the bedtime from there.

AddictiveCereal · 27/03/2018 17:48

My 8 year old has lights out at 9.30 and is asleep by 10. He is awake at 7.15 in the morning. He functions very well with this amount of sleep since he was 7. Some children need more or less sleep than others.

DairyisClosed · 27/03/2018 17:49

St year nine I didn't have a bed time but mostly was in bed by ten. Will be sending children off to board at that age so can't really be bothered thinking about it in depth but I would say that not using tech after 9:30 and being in bed at 10 is a very good sleep regime for anyone who is not a small child. If my parents turned up today and tried to imposed your rule while I would be a bit Hmm about it (OK Shock first because mother is long dead) and then just agree that it was sensible and go along with it.

K1092902 · 27/03/2018 17:55

YANBU. DSD2 had a 10pm bedtime until she was 18 (midnight at weekends with the odd exception). Until 16, she had to give us her phone at 9pm which we put on charge in our bedroom for her. We did this from her living with us at 14. She was up at 7am during the week and was allowed a lie in tilll 9am on weekends otherwise if she was allowed to sleep all day on a Sunday she wouldnt go to sleep on sunday night!

Greenfinch1 · 27/03/2018 17:57

My 14 yr old isn't on any social media so his phone rarely goes upstairs, he plays a game on his iPad or watches a DVD until 9.30 during term time, only allowed to read or listen to audio book after 9.30. Doesn't fall asleep till 10 or bit after I think. He is up at 7 am. Rules relaxed in the hols. He doesn't bother complaining as he knows we won't budge. I am completely immune to everyone else being on Snapchat till midnight etc. He is happy and has friends. I think he is coming around to our views on social media by himself as he has noticed it usually only causes upset with his pals, daft tittle tattle gets out of hand. He has set his phone for lots of news channel alerts so it looks busy! Grin

JustDanceAddict · 27/03/2018 17:59

My DS games online til 9pm on a school night and goes to bed by 10. He’s a horror otherwise - has to get up by 6.45. I go to bed around then too and don’t want to hear him shouting down his earpiece.

TwoBlueFish · 27/03/2018 18:26

My year 9 has to close his computer etc down at 9, then he has time to pack his bag for the morning, faff about a bit, brush his teeth etc and in bed for 9:30. He can then read for as long as he wants. He gets up at 7:20 and usually has to be dragged up so i’m Not changing the time. In the holidays he can stay up later although we generally ask him to be in bed by midnight.

INeedToEat · 27/03/2018 18:48

My 15 yr old (yr 10) goes to bed at 10pm. On the weekends he can go any time he likes.

He was also doing this in yr 14.

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