Saturday, January 17, 2015

Should you let your children sleep in 
on the weekends

Yes as a teacher and a coach I have heard stories and studies of how the children's time clock is different than and adults.  




And I never pay attention to any of them. When I was a child our goal was to get it before our parents and get out of the house.  That meant getting on our bikes and going out to play sports, go explore out in the woods, or go find something fun to do.   Plus it didn't hurt that they couldn't find us for a while when they got up. That was sort of part of the plan we had a chance to play by ourselves and have fun, and start the day off early.

Plus if you have ever lived on a farm or ranch you know very well that you were up at 5 AM to do your chores.  And these are the people and the habits that were formed that helped build our country to what it is today.  In my lifetime I have known many rich and successful people, and I can honestly say I have never met one of them that sleeps in. And in fact the one thing I have found that is common among all of them,  is their high energy level

Now days there are not as many open areas for children to play in and is no longer safe for them to be on their own a lot of the time. That is understood. But if you teach them to sleep in,  then you are forming a habit that will continue as they get older.

And the classes I teach I want my students in before the bell rings and have them start their work immediately. That is a habit that will help them be successful when they get out of school.  I  have lost count of the number of people that I saw fired and penalized for coming into work late when I was working for corporations. It was a habit they formed when they were young and they had a hard time breaking it. 

I hold my practices at 9 AM. But I have already been out on the courts or fields from 7 to 9 playing or working out myself.  So I do not feel sorry for the young athletes to come to hours later.  I feel they are not only increasing their athletic and physical capabilities they are also developing mental toughness and discipline.

These are the habits that will not only ensure athletic success, academic success, but will also carry-on to having a successful life and both their career and with their family