What's the point of a bedtime anyway?

With my oldest he had no bedtime he never has and never. From infancy he was always up early and fell asleep and a normal acceptable hour. He is soon to be 11 in September and he is most often than not in bed around 10-10:30, and amazingly that is even when he has a sleepover. Plenty of times I have walked into his bedroom during the wee hours of the morning to turn off a light or tv and my son is passed out in the bed and his sleepover buddy is up and raring to go. He also gets up about 7-ish, gets his stuff together, makes himself some cereal and gos off to school without me telling him to watch the time or get moving. I personally feel as long as his looks, seems and feels well rested, that should be enough. Why force him to go to bed only to have him toss and turn, get antsy and more often than not call me a million times. He seems to be doing fine, and he is quite known to come in from playing outside way before his curfew because he needed (in his words) "to relax". I feel that bedtimes are over rated, but I also feel that some children need established routines. I know of kids that unless you force them to lay down and keep their eyes close will stay up all night and be exhausted in the morning.

As human beings we need rythm.We need 8 hours of rest 8 hours of sleep and 8 hours of working. When i was young we had to go to bed at 7.A child needs a little bit more rest then adults.In this way they will also wake up on time and they have a good rythm for the day and night.Children ofcourse also need a nap during lunchtime when they are still babies till they are 3/4 years old. So the point of having a bedtime is that you will have the rest you need.My grandpa woke up at 6 worked for 8 hours had 8 hours of rest and then slept for 8 hours and he never got sick.He never went to the doctor's.So it is better for your body and for your immunity of getting the flu or catching a cold.

For some people, parents who see their child struggling with structure, often adopt ways to help the child grow up into responsibility. Giving them, not ordering, a set time for sleep-time is a good place to start . . . sharing the light, Miss Erica Hidvegi, the Enlightenment Advisor, B.A. Psych/M.A. Transpersonal Studies- Cnslng/Author, Artist, Photographer, Entrepreneur & Freelance extraordinaire www.enlightenment-psych.net

Personally, it's some sort of a discipline, and motivation; aside from the benefits one can gain from sleeping. It's quite different from one person to another. I believe this will give them a mindset that rules are to be observed and followed. This will really help them in the long run. It may seem very trivial to others, but following instructions - either coming from the parents or from conscience - is better taught while they're still young. Take care and God bless.

I used to have a bedtime for my sons when they were younger, I would let them stay up pretty late and would put them to bed whenever they got tired, the actual bedtime was more of a formality when asked by other when I made tohem go to bed, but I would never let them stay up past midnight, now there are teenagers and my only rule is that there in the ouse by midnight so I know where they are before I go to bed, unless they are staying the night over someone else's place, They kow there limits and will not stay up any later then they could handle, considering how early they have to get up each morning.

Hmm I think that your child is an extreme exception to the bedtime rule. Most children get very fussy without a bedtime. You are truly blessed. However, I think that the best answer I can come up with is the values that it teaches children. In the world we live in, everything is scheduled. It teaches them that certain things are done at certain times. It teaches them to respect authority, have a sense of responsibility, and its also good for them. I think bedtimes are most important for young children (ages 3 and under), simply because theyre getting use to a daily routine still. I remember when I was younger, my bedtime was a "privelege". We earned the right to stay up later. If we could prove to be responsible (finish chores, complete homework, etc), then we could stay up later. I suppose its really an early training program for responsibility. The time to yourself doesn't hurt either!

my parents always set a specific bedtime for me when i am still a school age girl... the point is to teach me self-discipline which is very valuable to me when i am already in uni and even until now now when i am already working...

I think it's important for kids to have a bed time especially when it's school time. I find they do better when there is a routine. Your daughter is definitely an exception. I notice a significant difference when the kids don't get enough sleep. I think kids need a lot just since their little bodies are growing all the time, and they need energy we don't. Just my opinion.

ok, i don't remember the exact information, but i had just read an article about this in either parent magazine or parenting magazine. it said that kids need 11-14 hours of sleep a night. one reason was, that kids that got less sleep were more likely to over eat during the day and become over weight. i don't remember exactly why, just that is the gist of the article.

I think that bedtime for children is because they need a certain number of hours of sleep to help their growing and to keep them on track and not being tired in school. I know that my son does not require the amount of hours of sleep, but I tend to make him hit the bed earlier when school is in to help his mind function for the whole day at school. I also feel that disciplining the children to get enough sleep and have a certain bedtime can help them in the long run through their life.

Wow you're lucky. The nights I let my kids stay up late they have a hard time getting up the next morning, not fun for any of us. I do let them stay up late in the summer though when they don't have to get up. My oldest has been waking up at a reasonable time regardless so maybe she's finally reaching an age where she can be responsible for her own bed time.