Where I become a judgemental parent

13 Comments

1. My 4-year-old goes to bed around 8:30 and the 21-month-old around 7ish, but we’re pretty flexible and I’ll let them stay up later if we’re out doing something or they had a late nap, or I’m hoping to sleep in- you know, stuff like that.

   Seeing kids out before 10pm wouldn’t faze me, but I used to stop at Wal-Mart after midnight when I worked those hours and there would be little kids everywhere. That seemed a bit much.

   Comment by Whit — November 18, 2007 @ 9:33 pm

2. That always wigged me out when I went to Vegas. Not that I’m a fan of Vegas in the first place, but we’d be walking down the Strip at 11pm, and there would be people with strollers. Seriously?! I don’t know why you’d bring a kid young enough to be in a stroller to Vegas in the first place, but then have him out walking at 11pm? Well, OK, I guess if you’re the kind of person who brings your kid to Vegas…

   Comment by Liz — November 19, 2007 @ 3:30 am

3. Mine go to bed at 7:30. I am in the same position–I go run errands after they are down. And yes, I do question it (in my head). But not nearly as much as I question seeing toddlers in violent, rated R movies. Chris and I went to see American Gangster and I was astounded to see a plethora of toddlers with their parents. Seriously? (Not to mention mine won’t even sit still long enough to watch The Bee Movie.)

   Comment by Amy — November 19, 2007 @ 4:19 am

4. I think it is more about a set and consistent routine and less about the actual time. If you stay home all day and your kids have their little internal clocks set for waking no earlier than say, 9, then bedtime will be later. If you are normal, on the other hand, and have places to go and people to see all day, then bedtime will be earlier. IMHO, if your kid goes to bed every night at 10 pm after a bath and hugs and a book or something, then that’s cool. Changing it up all the time to suit your own desires is what I think is unfair. You know, Britney style.

   Comment by Memphislis — November 19, 2007 @ 5:41 am

5. i work at wal mart and I see parents bringing babies toddlers and school age children at all ours of the night and the associates have to put up with the kids screaming and throwing tantrums because there over tired, some parents need to get a clue.

   Comment by cristinah — November 19, 2007 @ 8:45 am

6. I think that it “depends” Sometimes you need to run errands or do things past bedtime. When there isn’t school the next morning I don’t see where it is a problem. If you have a child that will sleep til 9am or 10am then why not? I think it’s more about how long they sleep them when.

   Comment by mp — November 19, 2007 @ 8:50 am

7. I work in an environment where it is the norm for our clients to bring their children when conducting business. They cannot afford childcare on their days off or they do not have a nearby relative with which to leave the children. Since they often work odd hours and weekends in the service sector, it is the only time they have with their children. Yes, we would rather they didn’t bring the children but we try to hold our judgement in check.

   Comment by Grandmother — November 19, 2007 @ 11:17 am

8. I’m with you. I have always thought that. But of course, my judgement is at its peak since I don’t have kids yet (20 more weeks!). I’m sure once I’m a parent I may not judge as much? I hope?

   Comment by samantha jo campen — November 19, 2007 @ 2:12 pm

9. I like having a few hours of QUIET to myself at night. I figure if I have my kids out after 8, I will pay dearly the next day. But, then, I don’t work swingshift or any of that kind of thing …

   Comment by Becky — November 19, 2007 @ 3:53 pm

10. 10pm on a Saturday night? Well, I guess it’s okay since it’s the weekend. I know that my own kids are in bed around 8pm during the week and SOMETIMES on the weekend they stay up until 8:30pm! Woohoo! But I do know that we’re visiting family in San Diego, we keep the kids up (at my folks’ home) until 10pm-11pm. So maybe those people were on vacation with their child????

    Comment by Grace — November 19, 2007 @ 4:08 pm

11. Given today’s violent world, I am really discouraged and disgusted to hear about toddlers at violent, R-rated movies. I can hardly take seeing those as an adult.

    Comment by Aina — November 19, 2007 @ 7:32 pm

12. I say – it depends! My daughter takes a nap from 5 pm – 7:30 pm, so she’s up later at night. She also naps during the day, so she has the same amount of sleep as everyone else, just at a different time. No R movies or violent t.v. shows, though. That makes nightmares and no one gets sleep then!

    Comment by Jessica — November 20, 2007 @ 8:46 am

13. In my duplex one evening, I had just put all of my kids to bed, even the 6-year-old, and I went outside to get something from my car when I bumped into my neighbor and her 4-year-old son. They were, she told me, heading out to see a movie.

    Flies could have flown into my gaping mouth.

    Comment by Brian — November 21, 2007 @ 4:49 am

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