So we are at that stage of the summer holiday where we are thinking of the routine of school again. How out of whack is your routine this summer?
I know I always allow our routine to go right out the window during holidays. Whether it be with bedtime, meal-times and even bathing times, everything is much later than it should be. The way of introducing a semblance of sleep routine last night was to switch of the WIFI!! My eldest text her dad to say I had lost my marbles and I am crazy for doing so. It then occurred to me they don’t know a life without it, so for them was like cutting off their oxygen supply! But it got them to sleep before 2am so job done right?
Do you find you stay in routine? or do you completely come away from it?
Here in Scotland it’s not long until schools are returning so we are at that point of considering trying to reintroduce regular sleep time again and encourage them to be up at normal school time.
That means we are having to look at re-adjusting the boundaries. Does that give you a sense of dread or are you confident?
I think as parents we can swing from picking our battles or letting things slide because we want an easier life. The summer holidays are a tough gig on any given year, never mind this year when considering the impact of COVID. So maybe this year we felt under pressure to DO a little more than we would normally?
We have slipped into the realm of “making up for” and whilst it is true that our teens and tweens have had a rough ride of late, so have we parents and carers.
Or are you the opposite where you have settled into the slower pace of life? Perhaps there are less expectations of you and that your teens and tweens have thrived during the last year so enjoying much of the same?
Whichever scenario sounds like your family it is safe to say that gearing up for the new school year may well be weighing on your mind!
What will school look and feel like for our young people? Will we be supported with more isolation bouts etc. Will they support our children in the transition back to the routine of the school day? And who will support us in our transition of going back to school?
So routine, eh?
One of the phrases we often use here at Potential in Families is to get curious. Be curious behind the reasons our Teens and Tweens respond to us. Be curious about their behaviour, and their communication. In this segment Id like to invite you to be curious about their sleep patterns…..
How important is sleep to their young minds?
(I can hear my teen rolling her eyes and saying “But I am not tired”)
How often do you hear that?
When we look at the science of sleep we understand that it is good for us in so many ways. It’s the window where our bodies restore and rest the organs we have had working so hard that day. The body is incredible in its restorative ability, isn’t it?
When we look at what happens with our minds during sleep we are invited into the world of creativity through our dreams. It’s our mind’s way of helping us make sense of the world and at times brings to our attention the things we are struggling with or need to address.
When considering the amount of sleep we need it becomes interesting…
Have you heard of the Sleep Circadian rhythm?
Its our internal clocks that work 24 hours a day, this is so interesting.
Have a look
The Circadian Rhythm & The Sleep Cycle (Sleep Optimization #1) – Bing video
What are your thoughts on being able to help our children sleep and importantly how much sleep you get for yourself?
So when out teens and tweens are eye rolling us about not being tired, we can tell them how important the sleep cycle is.
(I always love a bit of science)