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Original poster

This shocked the unshockable me!

105 replies

nightcrawler · 21/04/2009 18:25

On return to school day, some of the children were very tired by lunchtime. I thought too much chocolate and not enough running around? An experienced person said - no - always after a holiday, a proportion of the children are tired 'cos parents keep them up late during the holiday so M&D get a late lie-in. The children get used to the late nights and late mornings. M&D forget to adjust for going back to school, so the children are knackered on school return. I would have dismissed this as cynical prejudice, except she then said - it will be child J, L, C, D, T, etc, etc - about 2/3 of the class! And she was correct. I thought I was unshockable, but this has left me .

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Twims · 21/04/2009 18:26

Yep sounds about right

LizzyIzzyLou · 21/04/2009 18:27

Its not that shocking TBH.

Some parents let their children stay up late as no school in the morning - it has always happened and always will

MadameCastafiore · 21/04/2009 18:27

We let our kids stay up a bit later as a treat as they don't have school the next day and so don't need to be in bed so early - we have never done it so we get a long lay in!

ShowOfHands · 21/04/2009 18:28

Why ?

I only have a pre-schooler but would imagine that if you are on holiday you're doing more, evenings are lighter, nobody has to go to bed at any particular time, it's probably quite nice and doesn't matter really.

It's perhaps not just for selfish parent reasons. Couple of days and they'll be back on track.

madwomanintheattic · 21/04/2009 18:29

er... hence the phrase 'not on a school night'...

i got a lie in nearly every day

and my 3 are top ten percent school council types lol

i have absolutely no idea why you are shocked?

misdee · 21/04/2009 18:30

mine were later to bed most of the holidays, but they were up at 6am-7am anyway. we dont get lie-ins here

basementbear · 21/04/2009 18:30

My DCs definitely stayed up later during the hols, cos we were out and about doing stuff etc. However, DS1 woke early every day because he knew he'd be allowed to watch TV in the mornings - no lie in for me (wish there had been)! Today, first day back and I couldn't get him to wake up - he said he was having a lie in cos he knew he wasn't allowed to watch telly before school!!

HuwEdwards · 21/04/2009 18:30

that's all part of the holiday feel surely, dispensing with the rigid timescales.

I love not having to rush them in the morning and letting them stay up a bit later.

Ivykaty44 · 21/04/2009 18:30

I have just returned to work after a two week holiday - I was tired by lunch time and very hungry I didn't even have many late nights perhpas two.

I just find it is the change of being structed agian and after not working for two weeks it takes a day or two to get back into routine of staying awake!

FAQinglovely · 21/04/2009 18:31

not really - m DS's go to bed same time every night of the year - holidays/school time makes no difference. They're still often tired when they go back to school

As no they don't eat more crap in the holidays (actually less of it as I don't get their free school lunches so money gets spent on healthy lunch stuff instead of unhealthy snacks that I sometimes buy during term time) and they run around more (actually almost constantly.

But school is different.

Notalone · 21/04/2009 18:33

We do this too - its not intentional - its just that we don't stick to a rigid routine when Ds (age 7) is off school. We do this on our holidays too if the weather is good and we are having fun. Last year we stayed somewhere near a lovely beach, DS wasn't tired at 10pm so we went down to the beach in the dark to look at the stars. We had a lovely time and Ds slept as soon as we got back. He still remembers it now. I would rather Ds remembers his holidays as a time whre he had lots of fun than of times where he was stuck in bed at 8pm when it is still sunny outside.

onebatmother · 21/04/2009 18:37

We had such a lovely holiday staying up and getting up late. TV in the mornings even..

I didn't instigate a rigid scaled countdown to new term, with gradual reduction of lateness relative to closeness to end of holiday. It would have been a bit neurotic less relaxing, and it will at most take a couple of early nights for the ds's to catch up.

LizzyIzzyLou · 21/04/2009 18:38

How lovely Notalone I hope to do things like that with dd when shes older .. tis the stuff memories are made of

melissa75 · 21/04/2009 18:41

definately not a shock! I can name all the kids in my class before they come in too who won't be able to stay awake for long or who will be struggling come lunchtime as mentioned!

sarah293 · 21/04/2009 18:42

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Original poster
nightcrawler · 21/04/2009 18:43

Lizzy - yes, sorry, what I should have made clear was that I was shocked that parents may manipulate their childrens' sleep time in order to facilitate their own sleeps. Even if this means letting their children stay up really late when they have school the next day. Heavens, I know what I mean, but what I type isn't making much sense.

OP posts:
ABetaDad · 21/04/2009 18:50

We allow one hour later on Friday and Saturday night so we get an hour extra in bed on Saturday and Sunday morning.

Other than that, no difference between weekdays in the holiday and term time as they are out of the house by 8.00 am every day to either holiday camp or school. They are in bed on weekdays at 7.30 every night.

They like it that way.

LadyGlencoraPalliser · 21/04/2009 18:51

You don't sound particularly unshockable to me!
Surely later bedtimes are NORMAL in school holidays. As for the motivation behind it, that's a matter of interpretation - your 'experienced person' maybe making assumptions about the motivation of each and every family who lets their children stay up late - unless they did a survey of course.

morningpaper · 21/04/2009 18:52

tee hee! That is possibly the least shocking thing I have heard EVER

Auntylulu · 21/04/2009 18:52

DCs go to bed whenever they want ,within reason, during school hols. but we gradually get them back to a normal bedtime for a few nights before school

especially i n the summer, i don't mind them running round outside until 8 or 9pm and also DH often gets in late, so it means they can spedn some time with him

but i do make sure they are back in earlier routine ready for school

MollieO · 21/04/2009 18:55

Ds goes to bed the same time whether holiday or not, in fact with no homework to do I try to get him to bed earlier in the holidays.

sarah293 · 21/04/2009 18:56

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solidgoldshaggingbunnies · 21/04/2009 18:58

OP are you one of these freaks people who can manage on 3 hours sleep a night and thinks of it as some sign of moral superiority, by any chance? Because that;s the only reason I can think of for you being so outraged at the idea that some parents might like a bit of extra sleep.

AnarchyAunt · 21/04/2009 19:00

Who are these lucky feckers whose DC sleep later in the morning if they go to bed later? Mine just gets up at the crack of dawn and is grumpy about it if she has a late night

MintyyAeroEgg · 21/04/2009 19:00

Sorry but you are very shockable indeed if you find it shocking that children stay up later in the school holidays .

I am now very interested in what you are not shocked by that you think most people are shocked by.