Early morning practice - how many hours of sleep

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, what is it with this crazy sports obsession that makes parents throw their elementary school children out of bed at 4am?!

We should just make college free for everyone so that desperate families don't have to play this ridiculous sports scholarship lottery anymore.

Young figure skaters get up at 4-5:30 am to be on the ice before school and there are no scholarships for figure skaters. Obviously their parents are motivated by other things, like feeding their passion, and teaching discipline, work ethic and time management skills.

That only makes it worse. That sounds like overweight middle age parents projecting their own missed ambitions onto their kids. And there are so many other ways of teaching your kids about discipline and good work ethics without damaging their sleep patterns.

I don’t see this damaging sleep patterns for teens 13+. Thanks

And their parents aren't overweight or projecting. The right attack might be high strung tiger moms if anything, but for the most part, it's just wealthy, type A people supporting their kids' dreams. The question here is how to make it work AND make sure the kid gets adequate sleep. I think the PP who suggested OP needs to work toward a consistent routine with early bed and early mornings nailed it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, what is it with this crazy sports obsession that makes parents throw their elementary school children out of bed at 4am?!

We should just make college free for everyone so that desperate families don't have to play this ridiculous sports scholarship lottery anymore.

Young figure skaters get up at 4-5:30 am to be on the ice before school and there are no scholarships for figure skaters. Obviously their parents are motivated by other things, like feeding their passion, and teaching discipline, work ethic and time management skills.

That only makes it worse. That sounds like overweight middle age parents projecting their own missed ambitions onto their kids. And there are so many other ways of teaching your kids about discipline and good work ethics without damaging their sleep patterns.

I don’t see this damaging sleep patterns for teens 13+. Thanks

Reading comprehension fair. The PPs are talking about 8 and 10 year olds being dragged out of bed at 4am.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, what is it with this crazy sports obsession that makes parents throw their elementary school children out of bed at 4am?!

We should just make college free for everyone so that desperate families don't have to play this ridiculous sports scholarship lottery anymore.

Young figure skaters get up at 4-5:30 am to be on the ice before school and there are no scholarships for figure skaters. Obviously their parents are motivated by other things, like feeding their passion, and teaching discipline, work ethic and time management skills.

That only makes it worse. That sounds like overweight middle age parents projecting their own missed ambitions onto their kids. And there are so many other ways of teaching your kids about discipline and good work ethics without damaging their sleep patterns.

I don’t see this damaging sleep patterns for teens 13+. Thanks

And their parents aren't overweight or projecting. The right attack might be high strung tiger moms if anything, but for the most part, it's just wealthy, type A people supporting their kids' dreams. The question here is how to make it work AND make sure the kid gets adequate sleep. I think the PP who suggested OP needs to work toward a consistent routine with early bed and early mornings nailed it.

Sorry, but no 8-year old "dreams" of waking up at 4am to jump into a cold pool and do hard exercises for hours on end. They're just too afraid of losing the love of their crazy type-A parents.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, what is it with this crazy sports obsession that makes parents throw their elementary school children out of bed at 4am?!

We should just make college free for everyone so that desperate families don't have to play this ridiculous sports scholarship lottery anymore.

Young figure skaters get up at 4-5:30 am to be on the ice before school and there are no scholarships for figure skaters. Obviously their parents are motivated by other things, like feeding their passion, and teaching discipline, work ethic and time management skills.

That only makes it worse. That sounds like overweight middle age parents projecting their own missed ambitions onto their kids. And there are so many other ways of teaching your kids about discipline and good work ethics without damaging their sleep patterns.

I don’t see this damaging sleep patterns for teens 13+. Thanks

Reading comprehension fair. The PPs are talking about 8 and 10 year olds being dragged out of bed at 4am.

Reread first sentence of the OP’s post.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, what is it with this crazy sports obsession that makes parents throw their elementary school children out of bed at 4am?!

We should just make college free for everyone so that desperate families don't have to play this ridiculous sports scholarship lottery anymore.

Young figure skaters get up at 4-5:30 am to be on the ice before school and there are no scholarships for figure skaters. Obviously their parents are motivated by other things, like feeding their passion, and teaching discipline, work ethic and time management skills.

That only makes it worse. That sounds like overweight middle age parents projecting their own missed ambitions onto their kids. And there are so many other ways of teaching your kids about discipline and good work ethics without damaging their sleep patterns.

I don’t see this damaging sleep patterns for teens 13+. Thanks

Reading comprehension fair. The PPs are talking about 8 and 10 year olds being dragged out of bed at 4am.

Reread first sentence of the OP’s post.

Another reading fail (maybe from no sleep b/c of swim training?). This is concerning the PPs not OP.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, what is it with this crazy sports obsession that makes parents throw their elementary school children out of bed at 4am?!

We should just make college free for everyone so that desperate families don't have to play this ridiculous sports scholarship lottery anymore.

Young figure skaters get up at 4-5:30 am to be on the ice before school and there are no scholarships for figure skaters. Obviously their parents are motivated by other things, like feeding their passion, and teaching discipline, work ethic and time management skills.

That only makes it worse. That sounds like overweight middle age parents projecting their own missed ambitions onto their kids. And there are so many other ways of teaching your kids about discipline and good work ethics without damaging their sleep patterns.

I don’t see this damaging sleep patterns for teens 13+. Thanks

Reading comprehension fair. The PPs are talking about 8 and 10 year olds being dragged out of bed at 4am.

Reread first sentence of the OP’s post.

Another reading fail (maybe from no sleep b/c of swim training?). This is concerning the PPs not OP.

Wrong. Click the link that opens all comments for this particular part of the thread. Not one talks about ages, per se. You’re in the wrong.

[Anonymous]

Not sure why people are taking this so personally and getting nasty.

To answer OP’s question, I think it depends on the kid. My youngest is an early riser and always has been. They had no problem transitioning to 4:30 practice at 12 (11 does sound a bit young). And they got used to it, though the first two weeks were rough for everyone. They go to bed earlier and they manage their schoolwork, etc fine, though they do not stay up late and sleepovers sort of end early for them.

My eldest has always been a night owl since they were a baby and I am pretty sure would be miserable in a sport that starts early.

At the end of the day I think it depends on if the child is motivated and if the parent can tolerate it- its not for every child nor is it for every family. I do not judge either way, and neither should anyone else.

Good luck!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:11 is really young for early morning practice

+1
I would never ever do this. DS was offered an early morning spot at a competitive swim club at that age and I couldn't bring myself to take it. Sleep during this age is really important and it may impact his mood, academics, and health.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why people are taking this so personally and getting nasty.

To answer OP’s question, I think it depends on the kid. My youngest is an early riser and always has been. They had no problem transitioning to 4:30 practice at 12 (11 does sound a bit young). And they got used to it, though the first two weeks were rough for everyone. They go to bed earlier and they manage their schoolwork, etc fine, though they do not stay up late and sleepovers sort of end early for them.

My eldest has always been a night owl since they were a baby and I am pretty sure would be miserable in a sport that starts early.

At the end of the day I think it depends on if the child is motivated and if the parent can tolerate it- its not for every child nor is it for every family. I do not judge either way, and neither should anyone else.

Good luck!

+1, my DDs training group will start having 1x a week 5 am practices when she turns 11. She is adamant that this is no big deal and that for 1 day a week she will deal with it because she loves swim and she wants to progress to the next level. For whatever reason, 11 seems to be the age that the most competitive clubs start to introduce the 5 am practice into the schedule. My guess is that it is to weed out those not fully committed to swimming since this area has so many young kids between ages 7-10 swimming competitively.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why people are taking this so personally and getting nasty.

To answer OP’s question, I think it depends on the kid. My youngest is an early riser and always has been. They had no problem transitioning to 4:30 practice at 12 (11 does sound a bit young). And they got used to it, though the first two weeks were rough for everyone. They go to bed earlier and they manage their schoolwork, etc fine, though they do not stay up late and sleepovers sort of end early for them.

My eldest has always been a night owl since they were a baby and I am pretty sure would be miserable in a sport that starts early.

At the end of the day I think it depends on if the child is motivated and if the parent can tolerate it- its not for every child nor is it for every family. I do not judge either way, and neither should anyone else.

Good luck!

+1, my DDs training group will start having 1x a week 5 am practices when she turns 11. She is adamant that this is no big deal and that for 1 day a week she will deal with it because she loves swim and she wants to progress to the next level. For whatever reason, 11 seems to be the age that the most competitive clubs start to introduce the 5 am practice into the schedule. My guess is that it is to weed out those not fully committed to swimming since this area has so many young kids between ages 7-10 swimming competitively.

Has your DD actually done it yet, or is she just saying it will be no big deal? No way to know that beforehand. Your club’s strategy sounds like a great way to make swimmers burn out when they otherwise might have stuck with it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Not sure why people are taking this so personally and getting nasty.

To answer OP’s question, I think it depends on the kid. My youngest is an early riser and always has been. They had no problem transitioning to 4:30 practice at 12 (11 does sound a bit young). And they got used to it, though the first two weeks were rough for everyone. They go to bed earlier and they manage their schoolwork, etc fine, though they do not stay up late and sleepovers sort of end early for them.

My eldest has always been a night owl since they were a baby and I am pretty sure would be miserable in a sport that starts early.

At the end of the day I think it depends on if the child is motivated and if the parent can tolerate it- its not for every child nor is it for every family. I do not judge either way, and neither should anyone else.

Good luck!

+1, my DDs training group will start having 1x a week 5 am practices when she turns 11. She is adamant that this is no big deal and that for 1 day a week she will deal with it because she loves swim and she wants to progress to the next level. For whatever reason, 11 seems to be the age that the most competitive clubs start to introduce the 5 am practice into the schedule. My guess is that it is to weed out those not fully committed to swimming since this area has so many young kids between ages 7-10 swimming competitively.

Has your DD actually done it yet, or is she just saying it will be no big deal? No way to know that beforehand. Your club’s strategy sounds like a great way to make swimmers burn out when they otherwise might have stuck with it.

She did some early club practices by choice over the summer and it was fine. Obviously she didn’t have to go to school afterward, but we are fortunate to live only 5 minutes from her practice site so she just rolled out of bed at 4:40. It’s not just my kid’s club that has some early morning practices starting in middle school, it’s most of the big clubs that do this. It’s also the time where kids leave swim because they want to focus more on a different sport, so you’re also left at that point with the kids that are committed to swimming as their primary sport.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, what is it with this crazy sports obsession that makes parents throw their elementary school children out of bed at 4am?!

We should just make college free for everyone so that desperate families don't have to play this ridiculous sports scholarship lottery anymore.

Young figure skaters get up at 4-5:30 am to be on the ice before school and there are no scholarships for figure skaters. Obviously their parents are motivated by other things, like feeding their passion, and teaching discipline, work ethic and time management skills.

That only makes it worse. That sounds like overweight middle age parents projecting their own missed ambitions onto their kids. And there are so many other ways of teaching your kids about discipline and good work ethics without damaging their sleep patterns.

I don’t see this damaging sleep patterns for teens 13+. Thanks

Well, you are blind.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, what is it with this crazy sports obsession that makes parents throw their elementary school children out of bed at 4am?!

We should just make college free for everyone so that desperate families don't have to play this ridiculous sports scholarship lottery anymore.

Young figure skaters get up at 4-5:30 am to be on the ice before school and there are no scholarships for figure skaters. Obviously their parents are motivated by other things, like feeding their passion, and teaching discipline, work ethic and time management skills.

That only makes it worse. That sounds like overweight middle age parents projecting their own missed ambitions onto their kids. And there are so many other ways of teaching your kids about discipline and good work ethics without damaging their sleep patterns.

I don’t see this damaging sleep patterns for teens 13+. Thanks

And their parents aren't overweight or projecting. The right attack might be high strung tiger moms if anything, but for the most part, it's just wealthy, type A people supporting their kids' dreams. The question here is how to make it work AND make sure the kid gets adequate sleep. I think the PP who suggested OP needs to work toward a consistent routine with early bed and early mornings nailed it.

Sorry, but no 8-year old "dreams" of waking up at 4am to jump into a cold pool and do hard exercises for hours on end. They're just too afraid of losing the love of their crazy type-A parents.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Jeez, what is it with this crazy sports obsession that makes parents throw their elementary school children out of bed at 4am?!

We should just make college free for everyone so that desperate families don't have to play this ridiculous sports scholarship lottery anymore.

Young figure skaters get up at 4-5:30 am to be on the ice before school and there are no scholarships for figure skaters. Obviously their parents are motivated by other things, like feeding their passion, and teaching discipline, work ethic and time management skills.

That only makes it worse. That sounds like overweight middle age parents projecting their own missed ambitions onto their kids. And there are so many other ways of teaching your kids about discipline and good work ethics without damaging their sleep patterns.

I don’t see this damaging sleep patterns for teens 13+. Thanks

Well, you are blind.

Mmkay. I’ll hold my kids up to any others.

[Anonymous]

Zero - and I mean zero - middle schoolers who swim early in the mornings have this issue.

https://www.dcurbanmom.com/jforum/posts/list/1078605.page