Won't somebody please think of the children!

[Chino]

I'd like to hear a parents' opinion on this before going off the handle on how ridiculous I think it is.

https://ourtribune.com/article.php?id=19869

[Hyperplex]

It's actually not that ridiculous, though whether or not you really need to do all those things is a matter of personal choice based on your kids and how they are. But there is a truth to the fact that kids are very beholden to their circadian rhythms, and an hour time change can throw them off, especially when it's in the direct of losing, rather than gaining, sleep. My kids wake up at the same time every single day, regardless of when they go to sleep, for the most part, so the shift forward could rob them of an hour of sleep and make them not feel well or simply cranky.

I'm lucky in that my kids adapt rather well, but not everyone's kids do. While I agree doing everything in this article might be a bit overkill, the basic premise is a valid one.

And yes, that little bit of extra (or less) sleep does make a big difference. We had to adjust my son's bed time by 30 minutes because he was always groggy in the mornings, and it did help him.

[El Barto]

Idiotic shit wrecks havoc on everybody. Not sure why we need to prepare kids for it rather than just do away with the whole stupid thing and not worry about preparing anybody for it.

[TAC]

While articles like this might be well meaning, it's another example of clothing ourselves in bubblewrap.

Sure sleep patterns and attitudes can affect stuff, but Daylight Savings is not one of them. We lose an hour and then 6 months later we get it back. BFD.

[hefdaddy42]

It's actually not that ridiculous, though whether or not you really need to do all those things is a matter of personal choice based on your kids and how they are. But there is a truth to the fact that kids are very beholden to their circadian rhythms, and an hour time change can throw them off, especially when it's in the direct of losing, rather than gaining, sleep. My kids wake up at the same time every single day, regardless of when they go to sleep, for the most part, so the shift forward could rob them of an hour of sleep and make them not feel well or simply cranky.

I'm lucky in that my kids adapt rather well, but not everyone's kids do. While I agree doing everything in this article might be a bit overkill, the basic premise is a valid one.

And yes, that little bit of extra (or less) sleep does make a big difference. We had to adjust my son's bed time by 30 minutes because he was always groggy in the mornings, and it did help him.

This.

Idiotic shit wrecks havoc on everybody. Not sure why we need to prepare kids for it rather than just do away with the whole stupid thing and not worry about preparing anybody for it.

Also this.

The whole concept is stupid.  But this article is OK, especially for younger kids.

[King Postwhore]

I'm thinking of my children at work.  workers in their 20's never think of daylight savings time unless you mention it to them.

[gmillerdrake]

While articles like this might be well meaning, it's another example of clothing ourselves in bubblewrap.

This. The only time in my three kids lives a 'schedule' has had any importance is infancy to young kid....maybe birth to three, maybe four years old. Personally I think this article is a joke and am curious if the person who wrote it has kids?

Mine are ages 10, 8 and 5. Their 'schedule' is get up, go to school, come home and play for an hour, do some homework if they have it, we read for a half hour or so and then they go to bed. My 10 and 8 year olds have bed lamps they keep on and they continue to read or draw until they are tired or when they decide to go to sleep....usually by 9:30pm. I only 'make' them go to their rooms and get in bed, but when they fall asleep is up to them because I know how I was as a young kid.

Anyway...my point is, EVERY kid/family is different and this article is silly to me. Maybe I'm a bad Dad.

[Calvin6s]

I'm thinking of my children at work.  workers in their 20's never think of daylight savings time unless you mention it to them.

But that's because you eat dinner at 4pm grandpa.   

[Hyperplex]

As the parent of a 1 year old and a 5 year old, I didn't read it with the tone of "do this to protect your children, SAVE THEM FROM THE ENVIRONMENT OF TIME." I read it as, "Hey parents, there is a distinct possibility that the upcoming shift in time could wreak havoc on your child(ren). If this applies to you, here are some tips to help ease the transition, and also this hospital is giving assistance for it."

[El Barto]

While articles like this might be well meaning, it's another example of clothing ourselves in bubblewrap.

Sure sleep patterns and attitudes can affect stuff, but Daylight Savings is not one of them. We lose an hour and then 6 months later we get it back. BFD.

Nah, it's more like 8 and 4 now. Moreover, it's actually somewhat destructive. There's a hefty increase in accidents, auto and personal, with a corresponding increase in fatalities and the associated insurance premiums.

But hey, Walmart and Home Depot score big because of it so I guess that's acceptable.

[gmillerdrake]

I read it as, "Hey parents, there is a distinct possibility that the upcoming shift in time could wreak havoc on your child(ren).

But unless this is the first time going through it with a kid....you already know that. Like anything else, experience will have taught you how to handle it.

[Hyperplex]

You'd be surprised how clueless many parents are about their children's behavior. I know quite a few personally that are so overwhelmingly dense when observing their children it's a wonder the kids aren't running the house themselves. I still think it is a well-intentioned article that simply seems overly absurd to those to whom it doesn't apply.

[Calvin6s]

That's a great attitude to have Hyperplex.  How many people go to the internet for tips?  I know I do.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

I'd like to hear a parents' opinion on this before going off the handle on how ridiculous I think it is.

I'm a step-parent, so I'm not invested to the level that a natural parent is.  That said, I think this is ridiculous.  Life is hard.  It's going to get harder as you get older.  Prepare them early and stop coddling the shit out of them.  Their boss/landlord/parole officer/wife aren't going to coddle them.  Get them ready for it.

But then I really don't like children anyway, so YMMV.

[Chino]

You'd be surprised how clueless many parents are about their children's behavior. I know quite a few personally that are so overwhelmingly dense when observing their children it's a wonder the kids aren't running the house themselves. I still think it is a well-intentioned article that simply seems overly absurd to those to whom it doesn't apply.

But it kind of applies to all of us in a way, doesn't it? We were all kids at one point and had to deal with this. I can't think of a single bit of preparation my parents did to get my sister and I ready for the time change other than to remind us to manually change our clocks so we wouldn't be late or early to wake up. All of us survived, right? 

I'd think adults are more greatly impacted by the time change than children are.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

But it kind of applies to all of us in a way, doesn't it? We were all kids at one point and had to deal with this. I can't think of a single bit of preparation my parents did to get my sister and I ready for the time change other than to remind us to manually change our clocks so we wouldn't be late or early to wake up. All of us survived, right? 

My point.

[Chino]

The article says "A junior high student needs about 10 hours while younger children need 11 hours or more". As a kid, you couldn't get me to sleep for 11 hours if you filled my bottle with Nyquil.

[El Barto]

But it kind of applies to all of us in a way, doesn't it? We were all kids at one point and had to deal with this. I can't think of a single bit of preparation my parents did to get my sister and I ready for the time change other than to remind us to manually change our clocks so we wouldn't be late or early to wake up. All of us survived, right? 

My point.

Irrelevant. Just because something worked in the past doesn't mean that there isn't a better way. Nobody is suggesting buying some $2,000 alarm clock to better acclimate your crotch-critter. This suggests some simple things, some of which a parent might do to help their kid adjust. I hate kids and the total irrationality of the common breeder as much as you guys, but I honestly don't see much of a problem with this.

[Sir GuitarCozmo]

Right, but just because there might be a different way, doesn't mean the tried-and-true has any less merit either.  The whole idea of having to adjust your children to DST sounds like someone trying to shoehorn answers into a problem that most people aren't aware is a problem.

[cramx3]

But it kind of applies to all of us in a way, doesn't it? We were all kids at one point and had to deal with this. I can't think of a single bit of preparation my parents did to get my sister and I ready for the time change other than to remind us to manually change our clocks so we wouldn't be late or early to wake up. All of us survived, right? 

My point.

  so true, we all survived without being prepared!

Didn't DTF have a huge debate about DLS 6 months ago?  Without getting into that, the article is well meaning, but seriously, prepare for DLS?  Are we that weak?  Sure it's annoying for a day or two, but we adjust and move on, not really sure anyone really needs to be preparing for anything here.

[King Postwhore]

I'm thinking of my children at work.  workers in their 20's never think of daylight savings time unless you mention it to them.

But that's because you eat dinner at 4pm grandpa.   

 

Just the opposite.  I eat too late!  7pm of late!

[Calvin6s]

The article says "A junior high student needs about 10 hours while younger children need 11 hours or more". As a kid, you couldn't get me to sleep for 11 hours if you filled my bottle with Nyquil.

Teenagers in high school should be logging at least nine hours per night

What about this?  It is probably a good goal, but I barely slept in high school (not including class sleeping)

Wake up at 4am.  Drive to the local college for school sports.  Do the school thing until 2pm.  Try to get as much of my homework done in class.  Sports again until 4:30 to 5 or even 6pm.  Race to get to work at 7pm.  Work until 11pm (I believe that was the curfew time for pre-18 workers).  Come home and take care of any homework not done at school (usually book reading for English or History).  Get to sleep somewhere between 12am to 1am (on average ... sometimes I'd not sleep at all) and get up at 4am and repeat.  Somewhere I fit hanging out, playing guitar if I didn't work that night.

So this whole 9 hours of sleep?  It probably is healthy to do, but what high school kid is actually doing this?

[cramx3]

9 hours is too much, I wish I could be like you Calvin, my body doesn't function well if I get less than 5 hours and 7 hours seems to be optimal for performance/use of time for me.  Anything over 8 hours and it starts having the reverse effect where I feel tired when waking up.

[Calvin6s]

Without getting into that, the article is well meaning, but seriously, prepare for DLS?  Are we that weak?

I'm guessing the target audience is for the parent that is currently dealing with a kid that is not "just doing it" and the article probably comes up with a google search of "daylight saving time DST kid tip".  And the tips aren't bad advice.  The total sleep time needed seems to be more a challenge of "this is what we should do" v. "this is what we have to do"

[El Barto]

If I'm not mistaken, research shows that kids don't learn shit early in the morning anyway.

I'm in favor of making sure kids get an education, but making them fucking miserable doesn't really seem all that cool, and I think that's where we're going with this. Moreover, I'm a pretty firm believer that kids need some unstructured time to goof off and just be kids anyway. George Carlin suggested 1 hour a day of daydreaming time, or perhaps playing with a stick. I'd personally recommend getting stoned or getting laid, but to each their own. Point is, despite my dislike of kids, I do think it sucks that they're not really allowed to be kids anymore, and we're seeing various aspects of that in this thread.

[Calvin6s]

George Carlin suggested <snip> perhaps playing with a stick. I'd personally recommend <snip> getting laid

Just different solutions to the same problem.

[cramx3]

Can't go wrong with George Carlin suggestions, the kids should play in dirt too.

[El Barto]

George Carlin suggested <snip> perhaps playing with a stick. I'd personally recommend <snip> getting laid

Just different solutions to the same problem.

Actually, the snips are as well. 

Moreover, either of the latter are just as likely to land them on a sex offender registry for the rest of their lives nowadays.

[DragonAttack]

Oddly, something my Mom made me do, and have followed as a 'tradition' ever since:  get up an hour or two earlier than normal on that Saturday (whether I was working or not).  It provides for good memories looking back. 

Used to be a PITA when the time change took place on Final Four weekend, especially with the current late starting times.

At a place I worked, the maintenance crew hours were 730-4pm Nov thru March.  Summer hours were 630-3pm.  And, you guessed it......those summer hours would start the first Monday of April, one day after the change.  That two hour switch was incredibly tough on them for the first week or so.  Some would plan ahead, and take an hour or two of vacation time to help let their bodies adapt.

[edit] a piece on NBC News that one hospital has a 24% increase in their admissions for heart attacks on the 2nd and 3rd days after 'spring forward'.

[TempusVox]

While articles like this might be well meaning, it's another example of clothing ourselves in bubblewrap.

Sure sleep patterns and attitudes can affect stuff, but Daylight Savings is not one of them. We lose an hour and then 6 months later we get it back. BFD.

Actually just the opposite, there is research that shows there is an increase in heart attack and stroke during the transition. Especially the "spring forward" aspect. Albeit these are typically people who already have risk factors; but there are much greater instances of less serious health issues as a result as well.

[kaos2900]

It is a pain in the ass for young kids on a schedule.  We'll just let our daughter stay up 15-20 minutes later and by Monday it will be back to normal. Not a big deal.

[hefdaddy42]

Some of you in this thread are coming off as cold-hearted mofos.

[Hyperplex]

It's one of those things where, if it's relevant to you, the information is valuable. If it isn't relevant or useful to you, it seems useless and over-the-top. Like I said, I know several people who would make good use of this information.

[hefdaddy42]

So do I.

Even if it doesn't apply to me and my situation, that doesn't mean there is anything wrong with it.

I find it interesting that El Barto is speaking up for it, while others deride it.

[Stadler]

I'm not sure where I fall, but I think it's in the "this is useful information, but isn't the equivalent of solving polio".  I will say this, though:  the paragraph on the "powering down" is massive.  It's an issue in my house.  My step son is 8, and has some developmental issues; I think the terminology is that "he's on the spectrum".   Add to that a sensory disorder, and he's not the most active kid in the world.  If I didn't say anything, he would be on a tablet and/or in front of a TV for 10 or more hours a day on weekends.   That, I think, is very harmful for his sleep patterns and his development.  Mom sort of "feels bad" because of issues with his dad, and the idea that his coordination is off, so there isn't really a benefit to things like playing catch and what not, but still.  I call it the "evil blue light", but it's a problem.