The inevitable summer bedtime negotiation had begun. T.Puzzle and Full Speed aimed high, Mad Dog and I aimed low. T.Puzzle wondered out loud, “Why do grown-ups get to stay up later than kids?” We explained as best we could, that adults are done growing so they don’t need as much sleep. Kids’ bodies are still changing and growing every day and need the extra sleep to help in this process. He seemed mollified. Then, he started to imagine what his bedtime would be in the future. Full Speed started shouting out ages and as these ages increased, the bedtimes rose exponentially. “When I’m ten I’ll stay up until 9. When I’m 12 I’ll stay up until 10″… and so on and so on. When he reached the number 18 we told him that at that time, if he didn’t live at home anymore, he could stay up as late as he wanted. That’s the great thing about being a grown-up, we explained. You can stay up as late as you want.
I asked T.Puzzle, “How late are you going to stay up when you’re 24?”
“Well,…I’m going to still live at home. I’m always going to live at home,” he said.
Full Speed, not missing a beat, said, “I guess we better get some bigger beds.”
Writes for all Mommies 