Something that has been bugging me for a little while…I often end up doing groceries late, around 11pm, and I often see folks doing groceries too, with their kids.
El Paso is mostly Hispanic, so I’m not sure if it’s ethnic-related, or if it’s all across the US. When I was a kid, I was in bed by 9pm at the latest until I was about 12. Then I was allowed to watch one movie per night, and allowed to read until 10pm.
Just wondering if the weird sleep patterns are across the US, if this can be related to increase ADD issues in kids, if it’s a cultural thing here, or if child-psych have figured out that the ‘old school’ you go to bed early is just not good.
Most families need a minimum of two paychecks to survive. Some people work shifts and odd hours. Childcare is very expensive, especially at 11pm at night. Leaving young children alone unattended while you go to the shops is illegal.
Welcome to the tough reality of working class America. Its not bad parenting, its take them to the store with you or they don’t eat the next day.
It’s different for each family. I know kids that are 7 years old who are allowed to stay up until they fall asleep and others that have TV’s in their room. We give our kids the opportunity for 11 hours of sleep a night which sometimes is not enough. So you may be right on, sleep deprivation could certainly affect learning.
what’s the law about leaving children at home alone?
I’ve got little kids - 4 and 6. They’re in bed at 7:30 to 8 pm, 8:30 on Fridays if they’re watching a movie; they usually wake up around 7:30 to 8 am. A good 11 to 12 hours of sleep. Their moods and functional ability changes dramatically with quantity of sleep.
I think all kids have a little ADD but those traits can definitely be enlarged by lack of sleep, shitty diet etc. I’ll temp hi-jack the thread - i had lunch at school with my daughter (6) a few weeks ago, she had her PB&J, some cut up fruit, water, and pretzel sticks. The kid across from us had some small animal crackers, PB&J, and a sandwich bag of mini marsh mellows.
I know his parents, and they are still working on getting him to focus at school.
As you mention, it could be cultural.
It’s my understanding that Hispanics eat later at night. A 10pm dinner time is not unusual. The children would probably still be awake so a trip to the store at 11pm makes sense to them.
I think in many states it would be called Child Indangerment.
.
The problem then is that the next day, they start school at 8am anyway…not at 10am because it’s El Paso…actually, people here also have weird eating patterns…lunch at noon, next day at 2pm, or at 4pm, then skip it, etc…random more or less.
I know life should be written from day 1 on an agenda, but some patterns are good to have, specially as a kid.
Your state of Texas has some of the strictest Child Endangerment laws in the country, if you leave a child unattended or in the supervision of another child, you could be imprisoned for up to 20 years.
Oh, I’m sure it has negative affects on the child when trying to fit in with a “normal” schedule. I was just pointing out that it isn’t necessarily due to piss-poor planning by the parents. That’s how they do things.
What defines a child? Until what age? who can supervise?
What age children are you seeing at the store that should be in bed at 9pm?
ranging from really young (2-3) to 10-12…
I think it is a combination of the hispanic culture where people do eat late and the fact that the parents probably don’t get home until late - or have to pick their kids up from day/evening care late. I tend to think that no one wants to be doing their grocery shopping late at night - they would rather be home in bed but sometimes there isn’t another option.
I’ve never heard of this whole “eating late in Hispanic culture”.
People do some weird stuff. I get the whole thing with weird work schedules- part of the price we pay for being “always on”.
ranging from really young (2-3) to 10-12…
In most states it would be illegal to leave those kids at home alone. Only two states have put age limits in statute, Illinois law says its illegal to leave children under 14 at home alone and Maryland lowers the bar to 8. Case law around the country indicates that the genreal rule of thumb is about 12, but its subjective according to the maturity of the child and the circumstances…if mom and dad leave little Johnny at home to go out drinking courts tend to frown a little more.
In any event, what you are seeing at your local store are for the most part parents that have to work 2 minimum wage jobs, and can only do their grocery shopping late at night and have no other option than to drag the kids along too.
It sucks being poor.
Point taken. Any difference if there are 2 kids? I could stay home when I was 10 without setting my home on fire, and could take care of my younger brothers and sister. Or does everyone here keep loaded guns at home?
Also, I see couple doing groceries here…one can stay home, and the other take care of the kids. Maybe it’s cultural on my side too. I find it weird to see young kids up so late.
As MattinSF said, this is a socioeconomic issue. If you go to the Wal-Mart in a poor white area, you see white kids who should be in bed and the same for a poor black area. I if go to wal-mart here in Honolulu at 11 o’clock I see all kinds of little kids that should be in bed, and I get to try to teach them 8 hours later.
Talk to a teacher and you’ll get MANY complaints about tired kids at very young ages. We occasionally get “Reminders” about proper eating, sleeping and hygiene issues in the newsletter. This is for a school from Pre-K to 3rd.
I hate to keep busting parents balls, but for the most part they just don’t want it to be “Hard”. Kids don’t want to go to slep generally and you have to put a significant amount of work in to get them into bed at a decent time.
It’s a lot easier to take them to the store, keep them up to 11 and let them fall asleep in the car than it is to have a regular bed time routine that you follow every night and get them into bed at a decent hour.
Both of ours are/where in bed at 8-9 unless something unusual happens or a little later on weekends, but not much.
It wasn’t until 6th -7th grade that we started giving more leeway to our oldest on “Bed time” and even then it was in her room by 9 so mom and dad could relax and spend some time…pretty much still is that way except now she’s not getting home until 9:30 and then goes pretty much straight to her room. The oldest is a senior this year.
~Matt
Really??
A short summary would be:
Anglo Saxxons countries: 6PM
France: 8PM
Italy: 9PM
Hispanic folks all over the world: 10PM (lunch is @ 2PM if not 3)
Fred.