Teacher sparks heated debate when she reveals ideal bedtime based on children’s ages
EVERY parent wants their children to get the best start in life, with nutritious meals and enough sleep.
One teacher has sparked outrage after revealing how much sleep your little one should get based on their age. It’s not just the kids who are outraged by the new bedtime routine.
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If you have little ones, you know how difficult it is to get them into bed sometimes, especially in the summer months when the sun is shining.
One teacher has sparked an intense debate after their pamphlet on the perfect bedtime recently reappeared online.
Uploaded by Stacy Karlsen, a teacher at Wilson Elementary School, has sparked intense debate over its strict guidelines that insist the average seven-year-old be in bed by 8:15 p.m.
Ten-year-olds don’t have it any easier: they go to bed around 8:30 PM and are woken up at 6:30 AM (ouch).
After sharing the now viral post on Facebook, she said Fox6Now: “For me it was a shock [that the post was shared so much]. I didn’t make it up. I came across it on my personal page and I thought, ‘Wow, this is super useful’.”
The teacher was even a little surprised and shocked by how many people viewed her post.
“This school has taken us by storm – even more so because barely 200 children go to school here and this graph showing what time your child should go to bed has already been shared on Facebook more than 300,000 times,” explains the teacher out.
Originally uploaded to the school’s Facebook page, it has now been shared by more than 340,000 people, with many parents commenting on it.
Some admitted they found the post helpful, with one mum feeling ‘vindicated about the way she organized her children’s bedtimes.
“I have four children – and I get a lot of criticism about their bedtimes,” she wrote.
The busy mom added, “I started setting their bedtime years ago based on how much sleep they need…I’m glad to see that this chart justifies the exact times we’ve already set.”
While no one can deny the importance of a good night’s sleep, many parents were not convinced by the sleep schedule.
“This isn’t the military and if I sent my kids to bed at 7pm they would be getting up at 4am. No thank you,” one father complained.
He also argued that the schedule would limit the time he could spend with his little ones.
“Besides, I could never spend time with them after school,” he wrote.
Another added: “I’m sorry but this graph is absurd. Who puts their child to bed at 7:15?”
A third wrote: “Wouldn’t it be nice if all children, all people were included in a ‘list’. I’m just old enough and seasoned enough to know this is crazy!!!”
Others also stated that such early bedtimes were impossible with so many extracurricular activities.
“These times are REALLY hard when some kids have extracurricular activities and don’t get home until around 8pm to eat, shower and finish their homework,” one mother complained.
If you’re wondering what your child’s sleep schedule should look like, keep in mind that it can vary depending on their routine, the time of year, and whether they nap.
According to experts at Great Ormond Street Hospital, children aged between 12 months and 4 years need between 12 and 16 hours of sleep, including naps during the day.
Meanwhile, children over the age of six should aim to get 9 to 12 hours of shut-eye per night.
Like adults, teens can get by on a little less and should get between 8 and 10 hours of sleep per night.
Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee that this will help them get out of bed faster.
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