Confessions of a middle aged mom: After my daughter leaves for school, I walk the dog, and then I go back to bed to finish my night’s sleep. Because I work from home, I have the luxury of sleeping until I am well rested. I do feel a bit guilty, but I have to admit that I need more sleep.
That’s why I feel so bad for my daughter. Her alarm rings every morning at exactly 6:20am. And she frequently goes to bed after midnight.
Teenage Routine Overlooks Sleep
First semester Senior Year. It’s intense. She is so overwhelmed with homework, extra-curricular activities and a job. Plus she needs time for her social life, not to mention social media. To her, sleep seems like a nuisance.
And I can’t change her morning routine. High school starts at 7:25am. Wake up, brush teeth, eat breakfast, jump in car, drive 20 minutes to school, park car, run to locker and rush to class before the bell rings. Every school day. And her schedule is not very different from most teens. I worry that she’ll fall asleep while she’s driving to school.
Sleep is key to so many things in a teen’s day to day life: good health, success in school, an upbeat mood and safe driving. So, it becomes paramount to try to get some shut eye.
This is my last year to worry about this. When she gets to college, she will decide whether to take an early morning class, and whether she wakes up when it’s still dark out. And I feel a little better because she won’t be driving to class every day the way she is now.
I will be hoping that she signs up for classes that start after noon. I will be hoping that the day begins with a shining sun.
