Is Daylight Savings Time Disrupting You?

Updated on November 05, 2013
J.O. asks from Novi, MI
19 answers

The kids get up way too early for school, but now with the time change, it's CRAZY early. (School starts at 8:30am).
They have an insane amount of energy when they wake and squabble nonstop.
So I didn't enjoy an extra hour of sleep.

I cannot get them out the door to school fast enough! Mornings are always so long and loud. Now for a few days they will seem doubly so. Evenings after school too are quite long and we're always trying to find stuff to do to stay busy. When it's dark and cold, I'll miss the nicer days.

What are your time change stories?

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S.G.

answers from Lakeland on

Awful, my body does not do well. By the time I get used to this time spring is here and were going forward. :(

1 mom found this helpful
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P.N.

answers from Denver on

My babies wake up with the sun. Instead of that being at 8a, now its 7a. No extra sleep for me; just an extra long day.

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C.N.

answers from Baton Rouge on

I hate the whole concept of DST. Rolling the clock back and forth does not add a single second of daylight to the 24-hour interval known as a day.
We are no longer dependent on daylight to get our work done - we have electric light.
Those whose livelihoods ARE dependent on daylight (farmers and such) will get up and go to bed when they need to, regardless of where Mickey's hands are pointing.
DST serves no purpose.

7 moms found this helpful

R.X.

answers from Houston on

Darkness at 6pm depresses me deeply!

4 moms found this helpful
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J.B.

answers from Boston on

I love it, actually. My kids range in age from 7-15 and until the time change, it was getting harder and harder for them to get out of bed in the morning and get them to fall asleep at night. Last night all of the kids were asleep shortly after 9 and my younger boys were up on their own at 7 instead of needing to be dragged out of bed at 7:30.

Oh and that extra hour of sleep? Between the World Series and Halloween last week, I desperately needed and enjoyed that extra hour yesterday.

As your kids get older and sleep later, this will be easier.

3 moms found this helpful

A.G.

answers from Dallas on

I love, love, love it! My kids do, too! We love having fires (in the fireplace) after school, and I love burning candles, too. The early evenings make it so nice. I don't mind the lighter mornings either. The kids don't behave any differently whether it's light or dark out, so mornings haven't changed. It's the evenings we love. It just seems so much cozier!

3 moms found this helpful
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M.S.

answers from Washington DC on

I think "fall back" is way easier to handle than "spring forward". I feel like moving back and hour actually helped us reset our schedules - I was able to get kids in bed at a decent hour last night, and for the first time in months, I was on time to work today :) I also kept the kids up about a half hour late all week last week to get their bodys ajusted and so I would not have anyone up at 5am Sunday morning!
Spring forward is the worst. Its so hard to get the kids in bed earlier! And certainly my 5 year old does not understand why he has to go to sleep while it is light outside!
I propose that in the spring we just push it 30 minutes forward (to split the difference) and then leave it alone.... forever!!! And if you all elect me President of the Internet, I will make that my first mission when elected to office, LOL.

3 moms found this helpful

S.G.

answers from Grand Forks on

We like it. It is much easier getting motivated in the morning when it isn't pitch black outside. My husband works evenings, so he sleeps later. Last week I had a hard time getting dressed without turning on the lights and waking him up. Today there is enough natural light for me to get dressed without a flashlight.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.C.

answers from Anchorage on

While I do not find it disruptive, it is annoying and unnecessary.

2 moms found this helpful
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M.R.

answers from Seattle on

We're great with the Fall Back DST.

We're horrible with the Spring Forward DST.

2 moms found this helpful
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J.K.

answers from Wausau on

I'm waking up on my own before the alarm and before the kids, so that is annoying. The kids are not having any issues.

I like that my older son doesn't have to walk to school in the dark now.

I dislike that by the time my younger son is home he has only an hour of daylight for playing outside with his friends. "Be home when the streetlight comes on" is a less useful indicator in the fall/winter than it is in the spring/summer.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.S.

answers from Boca Raton on

Well, it actually worked out well for us, for once. My teens and I ran a 5K yesterday and had to be there at 6 am. The extra hour helped.

Otherwise I think changing times is idiotic. I don't care which time we're on - just pick one and stick with it. When I lived in Indiana we did not change times (though they do now) and it was great.

Now they've even shortened the time when we're not on DST. So it's even harder for little kids who can't change their body clocks that quickly.

1 mom found this helpful

B.C.

answers from Norfolk on

Adjusting now is rarely a problem.
We all enjoy an extra hours sleep and within a few days we're more or less back to normal like nothing changed.

Adjusting in the spring for me is harder - takes me a week.
But - I like having more daylight in the afternoon than I do in the morning.
If time switching were stopped altogether - I'd like to stay permanently on Daylight savings time.

By the time Dec comes along you go to school/work in the dark and come home in the dark anyway.
If you didn't look out a window or step outside for lunch you'd never know daylight happened at all (use to happen to me when I worked in an office with no outside windows - no wonder I needed a S.A.D light at my desk.).

1 mom found this helpful

L.A.

answers from Austin on

Remind your kids to use "inside voices" at all times , yes even at home and car. There is no reason for shrieking,loud talking and shouting at any time you are inside.

Never yell directions across the house. Go to the person you are speaking to and give them the instruction, tell them to do the same with you.

Loud homes can be because of parents that are also loud, so try to tone it down.

Make sure the kids get lots of outside active play.. Can you all set up more outdoor lighting so the kids can stay out there a little later, or go out in the mornings on weekends? I have a friend that had outdoor heaters installed on her outdoor porches up in Colorado. I thought that was a great idea.

1 mom found this helpful

S.T.

answers from Washington DC on

a bit, but i find the autumn time change easier than the spring one.
:) khairete
S.

1 mom found this helpful
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A.G.

answers from Houston on

It fell right on opening day for hunting season down here and it really screwed us up, since we had planned to be in the deer stand by 4am. So Sat we were in by 4a, Sun were in by 4a, but it was really 5a, and of course in our sleepy imaginations the deer already passed by an hour earlier.

As for school and kids, we made it on time just fine. It was nice to not have to wait at the bus stop in the dark.

1 mom found this helpful
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M.L.

answers from Colorado Springs on

I didn't have a problem sleeping an hour later, no. My dog... well, his stomach clock went off at the same time, and he was pretty crabby about this hour change.

Actually, since I can't do anything about the time change or the seasons, I adjust myself to them. It can take a couple of days, especially in the spring. But I enjoy the nip in the air. After the sun sets, the house is cozy. I also enjoy seeing the sun rise at a "decent" time (for a little while, anyhow!).

About the waking and squabbling nonstop - that's something you get to deal with no matter what time of year it is! :^)

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J.S.

answers from Phoenix on

I live in AZ, and our state does not participate in daylight savings time. I prefer it that way. But my family lives back east in various states, so I always have to consider if they are 2 or 3 hours ahead of us, depending on the year.

M.D.

answers from Washington DC on

We always have adjusted just fine. I just don't like it getting dark so early in the night. We are very busy at night always because of kids activities and love it that way. Even when it's cold outside, the kids can toss on their coats and hats and go play...no need to stay inside because it's a little chilly.

My kids were also all still passed out when I kissed them at 615 before leaving for work. Yesterday they were up around 7, so it was 8 for their body clocks, which was fine with me. Even when they were little it was easy with them - I think we got lucky!

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