Eating dinner at 8 p.m. - 8:30 -- too late for a 3 yo and a 6 yo?

[Anonymous]

My friend doesn't put dinner on the table until 8 o'clock, and the kids go to bed around 9. Obviously, this is none of my business! I get that. Nonetheless I am curious whether this is common here in the DC area, where commutes and hours can be long? FWIW, the older child seems to handle it well and the younger child is always a mess, exhausted and falling apart.

[Anonymous]

I don't think so, but I am not from here and that is the time I used to have dinner growing up in another country - and I would go to bed at 10:00pm. That said, elementary school started at 12:00pm, so I didn't need to wake up at 7am.

But my own kids (expecting first) will have dinner not before 7:30pm, because that is the earliest my husband can make home and 9pm bedtime seems like it is what is going to happen in this house.

[Anonymous]

If the kids need to get up at 6:30 or 7:00 that sounds really late. But myabe they take long naps or something.

My kids go to bed around 7:30 or 8 and get up at 6:30

[Anonymous]

too late for my kids-6,4, 18 months-they are all in bed by 8, up @6:30. School for the 4 and 6 year old-Montessori- all week for the 4 year old too starts at 8. We eat without my husband and often have dessert together or play, go for walk when he gets home for a little while.

[Anonymous]

Are her children relaxed and happy?

It wouldn't work in my house, but that schedule works fine next door.

[Anonymous]

that is ridiculous. No one should be feeding kids that late when they have to get up for school the next day. This is not Spain, people.

[Anonymous]

Why do you care? If it works for them, who are you to question it? MYOB.

[Anonymous]

I think it depends on their circumstances and if the kids are happy and thriving and not tired during school/do they take naps or something?
My kids are not in school yet and we eat at 7ish. My husband gets home late, my kids nap late and wake up late so it works fine for our family. I am sure once they are in school and up much earlier than they are now - this will hopefully change.

I dont get it when I hear about parents who work full time, get home at 6 and their kids are in bed by 6:30?!
But hey - to each their own.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on their circumstances and if the kids are happy and thriving and not tired during school/do they take naps or something?
My kids are not in school yet and we eat at 7ish. My husband gets home late, my kids nap late and wake up late so it works fine for our family. I am sure once they are in school and up much earlier than they are now - this will hopefully change.

I dont get it when I hear about parents who work full time, get home at 6 and their kids are in bed by 6:30?!
But hey - to each their own.

Perhaps these parents (cited above) put their children's needs before their own. Sleep is as essential as food. Kids' brains grow while they sleep, insufficient sleep is very common in this country because of the hours of working parents. Its not an indictment of working parents. Its an indictment of a society that does not allow parents to come home at more reasonable hours. But too many parents are also totally selfish about wanting to spend time with their children and short-changing them on sleep.

[Anonymous]

We wait for my dh to come home to have dinner, and that will usually be around 7:30 or 8. I have my three year old take a nap from 4:30 to about 6 and my older d's snack on fruit or veg until dinner.

They have their baths early, their homework is checked and we have a nice family time (no tv etc) until bedtime at around 9:15. On average they get about ten hours of sleep.

Although I agree that kids will suffer if you don't give them the recommended amount of sleep, why wouldn't our method work? They are still getting the sleep and structure they need.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on their circumstances and if the kids are happy and thriving and not tired during school/do they take naps or something?
My kids are not in school yet and we eat at 7ish. My husband gets home late, my kids nap late and wake up late so it works fine for our family. I am sure once they are in school and up much earlier than they are now - this will hopefully change.

I dont get it when I hear about parents who work full time, get home at 6 and their kids are in bed by 6:30?!
But hey - to each their own.

Perhaps these parents (cited above) put their children's needs before their own. Sleep is as essential as food. Kids' brains grow while they sleep, insufficient sleep is very common in this country because of the hours of working parents. Its not an indictment of working parents. Its an indictment of a society that does not allow parents to come home at more reasonable hours. But too many parents are also totally selfish about wanting to spend time with their children and short-changing them on sleep.

Not the pp you are quoting, but I think spending time with the parents is equally important - if not more! I don't think school aged children need 12 plus hours of sleep per night.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on their circumstances and if the kids are happy and thriving and not tired during school/do they take naps or something?
My kids are not in school yet and we eat at 7ish. My husband gets home late, my kids nap late and wake up late so it works fine for our family. I am sure once they are in school and up much earlier than they are now - this will hopefully change.

I dont get it when I hear about parents who work full time, get home at 6 and their kids are in bed by 6:30?!
But hey - to each their own.

Perhaps these parents (cited above) put their children's needs before their own. Sleep is as essential as food. Kids' brains grow while they sleep, insufficient sleep is very common in this country because of the hours of working parents. Its not an indictment of working parents. Its an indictment of a society that does not allow parents to come home at more reasonable hours. But too many parents are also totally selfish about wanting to spend time with their children and short-changing them on sleep.

Perhaps some parents are whiney and judgemental and need to spend more time working on their own families and less time being preachy on message boards.

[Anonymous]

My 2 year old goes to bed at 9pm and gets up between 7 and 8. He also takes a 2 to 3 hour nap every day. It seems to be in the required sleep hours range for his age group.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it depends on their circumstances and if the kids are happy and thriving and not tired during school/do they take naps or something?
My kids are not in school yet and we eat at 7ish. My husband gets home late, my kids nap late and wake up late so it works fine for our family. I am sure once they are in school and up much earlier than they are now - this will hopefully change.

I dont get it when I hear about parents who work full time, get home at 6 and their kids are in bed by 6:30?!
But hey - to each their own.

Perhaps these parents (cited above) put their children's needs before their own. Sleep is as essential as food. Kids' brains grow while they sleep, insufficient sleep is very common in this country because of the hours of working parents. Its not an indictment of working parents. Its an indictment of a society that does not allow parents to come home at more reasonable hours. But too many parents are also totally selfish about wanting to spend time with their children and short-changing them on sleep.

Hmmmm......sorry - if my kids are that tired where they can function their brain bc of one extra hour with family - then perhaps the child still needs to nap during do the day and/or parents should not be so selfish and get home earlier or find a job that allows them to do that. What ever happened to balance?

[Anonymous]

Not sure about the 3 year old, but for the 6 year old it can be ok, depending on what time he/she wakes up, has naps and snacks.