Kids sharing a room and staying up late

[Perogi]

My two girls (9 and 11 years old) share a bedroom. My 9 year old goes to bed earlier but is always awake when her sister goes to bed. Tonight at 10pm they were still talking. And they will be up at 7am. They are just early risers. I dont think either of them should be up this late. I am SO tired of getting them in trouble after bedtime. Just not how i want our day to end. At times we separate them and at times we have them in separate rooms right from the start. It sucks. On the one hand I love their close relationship and the memories but I also think sleep is important.

 

I can't be the only parent dealing with this? What would you do?

[Catwoman]

Separate bedrooms?

[Amy in NH]

I would relax about the time.  If they can go to sleep after 10 and naturally wake up at 7 then their bodies are getting enough sleep.

 

Imo, the relationship/bonding that takes place between siblings during those late-night conversations in bed is precious.  Not having to stick to rigid timetables is one of the things I love most about homeschooling.

 

 

This is what WebMD has to say about sleep for that age group: 

 

7-12 Years Old: 10 - 11 hours per day

At these ages, with social, school, and family activities, bedtimes gradually become later and later, with most 12-years-olds going to bed at about 9 p.m. There is still a wide range of bedtimes, from 7:30 to 10 p.m., as well as total sleep times, from 9 to 12 hours, although the average is only about 9 hours.

 

[Perogi]

Separate bedrooms?

Not possible.

The closest I can come to that is having one fall asleep in our room and moving her when we go to bed.

[Joker]

Enjoy it! I know it's not what you want to hear but you really should just ignore it or enjoy it. Mine are only two years apart and often stay up later than they should but I'm happy to know they are close. They will be gone off to college before I know it and I will miss the craziness at bedtime.

[Catwoman]

Not possible.

The closest I can come to that is having one fall asleep in our room and moving her when we go to bed.

That sounds like more trouble than it's worth, so I'm not sure what to suggest.

 

Do they seem exhausted in the morning when they are up late at night chatting in their room? If not, I wouldn't worry too much about it. Thank goodness they get along! :)

[Chelle in MO]

It doesn't happen often here anymore, but I remember how frustrating that was.  I've been known to tell mine that they'd be going to bed earlier if they want a lot of time to visit.  Following through on that a few times got the point across.

 

And I do love the fact that they can have those conversations, but there has to be a limit sometimes.

[TammyinTN]

Our dd's were talking about this the last time they were home.  It use to drive me up the wall---you see they're 28 and 26 with kids of their own now.    I laugh now when I think about it...they have the best memories and stories to tell.   I wish I had been much more chilled out about it than I was.  I say as long as everyone is getting up and being good people during the day and not grumpy...let it go.  

[Ali in OR]

As long as it doesn't keep me awake I'm fine with it. My sister and I were the same. It's a blessing to have a sister to share the world with.

[Perogi]

I often think that I want to just be relaxed and feel blessed that they have each other and are building such a strong bond.

 

But.....they do sometimes seem exhausted. Particularly the 9 year old. She has trouble on a good day controlling her temper.

 

I have on occasion put them to bed earlier the next night or had them start in separate beds for a few nights following. They really hate to be separated at bedtime.

 

Audiobooks at night are a great idea. They used to do that and then I felt that my 11 year old was each to stay up a little later than her sister.

[AimeeM]

I just wanted to pop in and say... please pretend not to notice. I still remember my next younger sister sneaking into my room and us laughing and giggling late at night. Those are still precious memories to me. 

Do they function okay during the day?

[Perogi]

It's tricky because the 9 year old needs more sleep than the 11 year old. Always has, even as a baby. The older sister does not seem to be suffering lack of sleep, but little sister does.

 

Maybe if I give them Fri and Sat nights as chatting nights and tell them I expect them to sleep on school nights.

 

They have a swim meet tomorrow so will be up before 7am and a choir concert until 9pm tomorrow night. That's part of the reason I'm extra frustrated tonight. We had talked about the importance of a good night's sleep tonight. Due to tonight and tomorrow being late I'm going to ask that they actually lay in their beds and rest during Mon quiet time (they are usually free to engage in any quiet activity in their room (they are separate for quiet time) and never actually nap).

[alisoncooks]

It's tricky because the 9 year old needs more sleep than the 11 year old. Always has, even as a baby. The older sister does not seem to be suffering lack of sleep, but little sister does.

 

Maybe if I give them Fri and Sat nights as chatting nights and tell them I expect them to sleep on school nights.

 

They have a swim meet tomorrow so will be up before 7am and a choir concert until 9pm tomorrow night. That's part of the reason I'm extra frustrated tonight. We had talked about the importance of a good night's sleep tonight. Due to tonight and tomorrow being late I'm going to ask that they actually lay in their beds and rest during Mon quiet time (they are usually free to engage in any quiet activity in their room (they are separate for quiet time) and never actually nap).

I'm currently dealing with this with my 6 & 8 year olds. They're sharing a room for a few weeks (or more) and my oldest stays up much later, and needs much less sleep in general, than my 6 year old. Still trying to figure out the best way to help them both...