Here goes, Rule #1,  Bedtime.

Nighttime signals sleep.  If you notice, nature shuts the lights.  Even God’s creatures have a pattern of rest so they can conquer their world. No matter what shift nature has, it has a rest period.  So, let’s take our cue from nature.

A rested body is he essential to learning.  Period.  If there is one thing you can do or your child, it’s to insist on rest.  Now, interestingly, what bedtime meant to us, and what it means to today’s teen is quite different.  We didn’t have nearly the distractions.

Today, humans are not so inclined to rest. Some of us, especially kids fight sleep.  To make it worse, the world no longer shuts off.  T.V. is 24/7, electronics are at the ready and phones are addictive.  The role of the parent at nighttime is bigger than ever.  Parents have to teach their children how to recharge their bodies. When the sun sets, we should prime our kids for sleep.

Some kids have their days and nights mixed up.  Last year a student told me he’d play video games at night, get to sleep at 4:00 am, get up for school, go home take a four hour nap, then start that cycle again.  Invariably, these students have poor study habits and low or failing grades.  Their absences were usually high.

At night all kids should have a stop time, no phones, TV, or computer.  Period! Kids are addicted to electronics, so parents must put a stop to them at some time in the evening.  Everything must stop for a kid to get sleep.

The biggest addition, yet easiest electronic to control at night is the phone.  Whether you know it or not, kids are texting throughout the night.  To stop this, simply take the phone out of the bedroom at night.  As the parent, you have that power.  If you don’t have that power yet, it’s really time to start.  I’m sure you’re paying for the phone, so it’s yours and your child is using it. It’s a privilege.

Here’s the deal. Even if your child doesn’t text in the night, some other kid does and let’s be honest.  Who can’t resist a text?  I know I can’t.

Every high school kid should have lights, phone, TV, computer out by 11:00. They need 7-8 solid hours of rest.  The younger kids need more.

A rested body is best able to conquer the world. The best students have regular sleep patterns.  If animals can understand the need for rest, then I’m pretty certain parents can.