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Sunday 13 July 2014

Morning vs Night People


I am a morning person. I do most of my work in the morning. By four, I am feeling my blood sugar dropping. I have tried to get some people interested in going for the $2.99 breakfast at a local cafe. A real bargain, which just started this month, but I cannot get anyone to go with me.

Interesting.

However, I have noticed something in American society which disturbs me greatly. Most people I meet now are night people. I am surrounded by people of all ages who stay up to midnight, one, two. Many of these people have children, and allow their children to stay up late.

I am not talking about people living in poverty, but middle-class and upper-middle-class families.

I cannot understand families which stay up late. There is something not Christian about staying up late unless one is in prayer. There is something not quite right about staying up late, so late, that one cannot greet God in the morning.

The kids in the morning can hardly get up for camp in one family I know. I have seen this in one family with which I am familiar. The kids are in baseball and football camps and in the morning, as they go to their day of sport, they act like zombies. They have been allowed to stay up way too late. Why?

Oddly enough, one of the persons in this neighborhood, solidly middle class, has a license plate with ZOMBIE on it.

When did it happen in this culture that children stopped going to bed at nine or ten, if teens? Teens actually need at least eight to ten hours of sleep a night.

When did it happen that parents thought it was ok to watch TV until one or even two? Kids have TVs in their rooms and computers in their rooms. Parents watch movies late into the night.

The problems of work-place illnesses and accidents may be sleep-deprivation and the lack of awareness needed for most jobs.

I have been in this house for the past two weeks and there have been three people killed in car accidents since I have been here, in this city alone. Three.

A lack of attention? Drinking or drugs? Sleep-deprivation?

I see many young people with short tempers, with frustration and anger.

I had an excellent pediatrician for my son in England who said this to me. “When you child is upset, always begin with the physical. Children react to stimuli faster and keener.”

He was correct. Start with the physical and move to the spiritual. Sometimes kids are just plain tired. Anger and frustration can simply be symptoms of a lack of sleep and no scheduling. Kids do better with schedules. We all do.

I blame the parents, as too many parents do not have schedules themselves.  Pay attention to your days. Schedule going to bed times. Schedule prayer times.

Teach your children to be disciplined. We do not have much time.

If any readers can share with me why people are staying up so late, please let me know. I am wondering at this habit and part of the culture I have not noticed before the past six months. Interesting.