The U.S. just celebrated its 243rd birthday, and with that comes late nights, fireworks and lots of pool time. I'll be the first to admit that I rarely veer off schedule with my kids. They've had what others may consider an "early bedtime" pretty much the majority of their lives. We rarely got off track, and I mean RARELY. Part of the reason is my personality. I thrive on routine and predictability so my twin girls have been accustomed to the same. But every holiday that arrives, I feel the guilt, either from myself or a third party, making me question my parenting practices and what I know about sleep.
I decided this past weekend that we would stay out later than usual. The girls ended up in bed about 45/1 hour later than their typical bedtime.
It's most likely because they are so used to their routine, but nevertheless, they had a hard time falling asleep that night. And on top of that, they were up an hour early the following morning. #butwhy To recover, the next few days consisted of longer naps and sleeping all the way up to our desired wake time; 7AM.
I honestly look forward to the days we can watch the sunset and play with sparklers, but we just aren't there yet. And you know what? I am OK with that!
When your kids are out past their bedtime, always compensate with earlier bedtime the days following. Overtired can build slowly during these summer months, and by then, the sleep debt is rather large.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY USA!
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