Conference moira::parenting_v3

    My son Eric is affected by this also. For the last two mornings he has
    been waking up at 5:30 instead of 6:30. I tried to keep him up a hour
    later thinking he might sleep a hour longer or (the regular time which
    is 6:30), but it did'nt work. I'll try again tonight.
    
    Lynne

    We have the same problem as well - Jason (13 mos) just refuses to
    believe 8-) that it's only 5:00am.   I also agree with the observation
    in .1 that keeping them up later doesn't seem to help them overcome
    the biological clock.  
    
    I suspect that their systems will readjust over the course of maybe
    a week.   I am also trying to follow Dr. Ferber's ("Solve Your
    Child's Sleep Problem" or some such) advice to parents of early
    risers that take an early nap as a result - let him play/cry for
    a little longer than normal in the morning to see if he can settle
    himself back down for more sleep.
    
    Time cures all....(pardon the pun!)
    Carol

    Pat is thrilled to death.  All summer Michael has been sleeping till
    7:30-8:00am and going to bed around 8:00-8:30pm.  This week he's
    getting up at 6:30 or so and going to bed by 7:00.  She said she wishes
    DST would be banned forever!
    
    Steve

    In our experience, it takes approx. one week, if you adhere to their
    regular schedule (in other words, do everything at the regular clock
    time you always did, even though their internal clocks are now
    different.) That is, if you want 'em to change! I'd suspect, though,
    Steve, that Michael will eventually get back to the 8:00 p.m. to 7:30
    a.m. again. Just seems like their body clocks can only adjust a bit at
    a time, and that is that! Our 5 yr. old was up at 6 this morning, light
    on and playing with matchbox cars on the bedroom rug (The rule is, stay
    in bed until 7 a.m.). He must have just figured his clock was wrong!
    After all, it was the right intensity of light outside for 7....
    And we have been putting them to bed at their "normal" time according
    to the way time is now....8:30 is 8:30.
    It will change, sooner than you think! hang in there!
    --dave--

Am I the only one who thinks that we should change our clocks AFTER Halloween
instead of BEFORE?  I like the Winter hours in general, but don't like the
idea that we are expected to change clocks so that it gets dark earlier,
the very week before so many kids are going to be walking the neighborhood.
We might be able to save a bunch of kids' lives if we would just make
the adjustment the first week in November.

Hasn't anyone ever brought this up to Congress (or whoever makes these
rules)?

         Carol

On the other hand, isn't the whole idea of trick-or-treating that it's
done in the dark?  At least this way the kids can go out, and still get
to bed at a semi-reasonable time afterwards.

	-Neil

The heck with how the kids are handling the stupid time change - I HATE
THE DARKNESS!!

If they make the change over any later, kids in some parts of the country will
be going to school in the dark in the morning.  Having that morning walk to
school in the dark simultaneously with rush hour (and half asleep drivers)
is a major safety issue.

Dick

    Re: saving kids' lives at Halloween
    
    Does anyone have any statistics for how dangerous Halloween
    actually is? I know scare stories about flammable costumes and
    getting hit by cars in the dark are staples in women's and
    parents' magazines at this time of year, but in all the years I've
    had children of trick-or-treat age, the worst accident I know of
    was a girl who sprained her ankle stepping off a curb -- and she
    was holding onto her father's hand at the time.  The only things I
    can even remember reading about were from several years back when
    there was that rash of poisoning candy and putting razor blades in
    apples and such.  
    
    Is this another urban myth, or are there real statistics and real
    dangers behind it?
    
    --bonnie

    It's not for dads either!  My son Tom, almost 7, has gotten sick
    somewhere within a week or so of Halloween, and thus the clock change,
    every year since 1986.  Yesterday his school called and said he had
    a temperature of 103.5!  The year before that it was Nov. 2, the
    year before that, it was the week after Halloween and in '86, he
    was admitted to the hospital for Kawasaki Disease on Oct. 30!
    
    Have other parents noticed their kids getting sick shortly after we
    set the clocks back (or forward?), disrupting their sleep schedules?
    
    				Steve

    .10
    
    Yes, my son has had a cold on each of the three Halloweens of his
    life. I was just thinking about this last night... 
    
    Lucy
    

    
    In re .10
    
    No such effect in my family (or pattern at the kids' preschools), and I
    don't find the idea very plausible.  The greatest effect I've noticed
    is that it always drove my cats batty in the fall, when both breakfast and
    supper came an hour after the "right" time.
    
    		- Bruce

re: .10, .11

More likely it's a result of the fact that in October there are transitional 
temperatures -- cold one day, hot the next, warm during the day, cold at 
night, and that the fact that the greater incidence of cold weather and the 
shortened days means that kids spend more time inside, in closer proximity to 
each other.

re. 12

Farmers hate the transition also.  Cows, for example, don't understand 
Daylight Savings Time.

Clay

    re: .13
    
    I thought this concept originated for the farmer!  Something about
    more morning light for harvesting or something...
    
    
    jacki
    

    Not only is the change a bummer for the little ones (I do remember
    keeping the shade drawn in the morning and it didn't work worth a
    toot), but what about the kids that want to play outside after work?
    Forget it?  Not only is it dark almost immediately after we get home
    but it is cold also.  
    
    We just got a "big girls" bike for Amy (5 now) and in the last two
    weeks we have been riding in the garage.  First it's dark, but let's
    wait for the weekend!!  Then it snows!

Re: .14

Legend has it that daylight savings time was first suggested by Ben
Franklin. The purpose was to maximize the daylight available during
busniness hours to cut the cost to the city of having streetlights on
and to the merchants for having to light their stores.  I know that
farmers hate it and there's a near-annual debate in Congress with the
farmers trying to minimize DST and the cities trying to maximize it. 
And, of course, during the "Energy Crisis" (1973?) we went a whole year on DST.

I've never tried to verify the Ben Franklin thing -- it's just one of
those bits of trivia that you pick up in school.

                                     >>>==>PStJTT

    re: .15
    
    I always just put mine in warm coats, gloves, and hats, and let
    them play outside...they'd come in whenever it got too dark for
    them to enjoy themselves.  
    
    That's assuming they're old enough to be trusted to stay away from
    the street.  Safety was never an issue in any of the places I
    lived (or perhaps I just wasn't paying enough attention).
    
    --bonnie

    Guess my 11 month old son is the only one who understands the concept
    of DST.  He went to bed an hour earlier, and slept an hour later on
    Saturday night.  He has continued to sleep later in the mornings and
    take longer naps since the time change...
    Sarah
    

    re...a few back, yes there were two reported deaths in California
    related to halloween, heard them on the radio news.  One was due to
    tainted candy, I think the second was a motor vehicle hitting a child.
    
    Anyway, back to reality AJ adapts well to DST, except the first day of
    the time change I waited till noon when the stores opened to do some
    shopping (for his halloween costume of all things).  He was an absolute
    whiney monster, of course his body was telling him he was well over an
    hour overdue for his nap.  The upside is that there's no real problem
    getting him to bed on time, since to him it's like staying up an hour
    later.  He's kind of cute, he keeps telling me that if it's dark then
    it's nighttime, if it's night time, then it's time for bed.  Kind of
    cute reasoning for an almost 4 year old. (now where can I get a good
    room darkening shade so he'll sleep late weekends :-)  )
    
    Lyn
    

    I have to agree with Clay in response .13 about transitional
    temperatures being the cause for some of the sick children this
    time of year.  My five month old daughter came down with a cold
    on Sunday (first day on DST) so I cannot blame it on a mixed up
    sleep schedule.  Fortunately for us, because she was up sick the
    next two nights (not fortunate that she was sick) she quickly
    adapted to her regular schedule (that which she had before the
    clock change).  
    
    Before we had to change the clocks I was concerned about her being
    an hour ahead of herself.  My concern was not for the morning 
    because she usually sleeps until 7:30-8:00 but for the evening.
    She usually goes to bed around 8:00 but I feared she would be
    ready by 7:00 with DST.  This would have given me only one hour
    in the evening with her (I get home at 6:00).  I am thankful
    that I worried for nothing and she adapted well to the time 
    change.  I still get my two hours (not enough time) with her
    in the evening.  
    
    Lynn