Changing the clocks back by one hour is a cruel joke on parents with small children. I apologize for the profanity in this photo but it's pretty much exactly how I feel at this moment. Having a one-year-old wake up at 4:30 for six days straight just takes all the fun out of that promised extra hour of sleep that people without kids get to enjoy every fall.It wasn't just my child. Facebook friends from all over the world lamented with me, their kids getting up, like mine, three hours early. You'd think a 6:30 AM wake up would simply go to 5:30 AM, but no. Something in their little brains was thrown way way off and they were all getting up, ready to play, sometime between 3:45 AM and 4:30 AM.
This past Saturday we had our first 6:00 AM wake up, which was the biggest gift ever to parents who had been sleeping an average of 5 hours a night. "Why don't you go to bed earlier?" you might ask. Well, it can sometimes take an hour or so to clean up the mess that that very same one-year-old creates during the day. By the time the toys and books are picked up, the sippy cups washed and the bananas scraped off the kitchen floor it's usually at least 8:30 PM and this parent needs another hour or more of mental downtime before my brain is calm enough to fall asleep.
So if you haven't seen me online much lately you know why. This is one of the first times in the past seven days I haven't napped while my child is napping. I should be but my to-do list has doubled in length since daylight savings time ended.
If you also have a small child and have been walking around like a zombie for the past ten days I know exactly how you feel. It really is a cruel trick played on us. And on top of that it gets dark by 5:00 PM so we can't even go to the playground after dinner. Just not fair. Who's with me to keep daylight savings time all year? It's dark when the kids are getting up anyway so what's one more hour of darkness? Sounds like a plan to me!
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When I was born (in wartime), they kept daylight saving going on all year. I know because I had my horoscope done long ago and that's when I learned it. I think we should keep it all year, for several reasons. It feels more normal, for one. I hope you will soon begin to get caught up on sleep, Kate.
ReplyDeleteIt still happens when they are 4 years old too. My granddaughter was with us over the weekend. I heard her each morning at 5:30 calling out "Hello". That's the signal for the whole household to be up and awake. Fortunately for me I am up at all hours anyway, so it wasn't much of a problem for me to get up, but I wasn't ready for everyone else to start stirring. It makes for a really long day of refereeing kids fighting and bickering. I really sympathize with you and I only had to do it for 3 days.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember these days from when my children were young. I remember looking forward to those evening hours when you could finally decompress. I always thought that the fall time change was for type A, "Morning" people that were not smart enough to enjoy the evening.
ReplyDeleteLUXURY! You have a child that naps! My daughter used to wake me up at 5.30 with one of the few words in her limited vocab at the time: BREKKY! ARGGGGH - I am now getting my revenge ;-)
ReplyDeleteDJan: they had it right in war time to keep DST all year round!
ReplyDeleteRae: luckily my mother gave me a night of help. Grandmothers are the best! My mom says she doesn't mind losing a morning or two of sleep since she can catch up when I can't. No arguing with that!
Steve: My husband is more of a morning person than I am but even he was starting to lose it. Decompression is key, you are right.
Ange: yes, I am really lucky. She still takes two naps, but that will end soon....and then she will really be a messmonster :)
Okay, so you've already used profanity in your post -- I'm not holding back. What the fuck with this fucking daylight savings time??? I'm in my fifth year of this shit. My three-year old is up from 1:30 to 3:00 every night since Sunday, and my normally early-rising five-year old can't drag his little bum out of bed. And just wait till spring... dear god...
ReplyDeleteIf I'm not mistaken DST was implemented here 16 years ago and we complained! My class schedule is at 7 am DST which should be 6 am, I have to wake up at 4 am to prepare and rush to school late! Almost of us here in the country complained.
ReplyDeleteDaylight saving time in a tropical country? Funny.
AL
Ana: oh man! so I have another FIVE years of this!?? So unfair!
ReplyDeleteAL: you're right: having DST in a tropical country is ridiculous. Your sunsets don't exactly differ by much! Up here it can get dark at 4:30 in the winter and 9:00 in the summer it makes more sense, but let us have it all the time!
She'll get used to it just in time for it to switch back.
ReplyDeleteLOL at the image. I'm with you, even though I don't have kids. Gosh, sound horrible for you and parents everywhere. I've never thought of this. But I'd like some more lighit, time to take a walk after work, etc....
ReplyDeleteNot a child any longer and still hate "Daylight Savings Time." Trust a political group to force us twice a year, to reorient our sleep times.
ReplyDeleteerrrrrr!
I know that I shouldn't laugh...
ReplyDelete;)
Me, I'm a night owl, so this daylight savings stuff is not part of my vocabulary...
but you've got a good point here... WTF is the purpose anyways!
With the clouds yesterday, it seemed as if it was getting dark at 3:30pm.
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