Rating: 
Summary: Thank you!
Review: Thank you, Inda Schaenen for giving tired, frustrated parents a method to simultaneously reclaim their evenings for themselves and enjoy their well-rested, happy children during the daytime. Well-written and provocative, The 7 O'Clock Bedtime challenges readers to examine bedtime rituals, extra-curricular activities, meal time and their overall approach to raising children in the modern world. A delightful read, full of stories of success and failure that empower readers to take charge of their lives and get some sleep, to boot.
Rating:
Summary: A great book for all parents!
Review: The 7 O'Clock Bedtime is a witty, thoughtful book that offers insight into what goes on behind one family's closed doors. As far as bedtimes go, the author makes good arguments for everything she advocates and gives practical advice on how to implement her suggestions. Even if the bedtime routine doesn't apply, it's a fascinating and humorous memoir of a family. This book is guaranteed to make parents think hard about what they do, why they do it, and what their priorities are.
Rating:
Summary: Excellent Ideas
Review: This book has a wealth of common sense and good ideas. It includes many practical ways to implement an early bedtime and a harmonious family lifestyle. Many families, however, would find her idea of the 8 o'clock bedtime better suited to modern life, simply adjusting the whole schedule an hour later. This is a necessity for us, since Dad does not get home until 6:00, and a family dinner is important to us. At five years old, my son needs about 10-1/2 hours of sleep, and does best with 11 hours. It makes sense that a child will wake up naturally when he/she has had enough sleep, so the author's basic premise is, if you have to wake your child up every school day, he/she is not getting enough sleep. Most people can agree thus far, but are unwilling to admit that means the child NEEDS to get to bed earlier, just as much as he/she would NEED more food or water if hungry or thirsty! Implementing earlier bed times is the hardest thing in the world (try 10 minutes earlier per day, or even per week), but worth it. We don't watch TV anyway, but we do music practice and have to have some father-son playtime. My son has just started kindergarten and has to wake up earlier than he used to, so we are working on achieving the 8:00 bedtime on most nights. On nights when sleep-time is delayed to 8:30 or 9:00, I let my son sleep in until 7:30, and give him breakfast in the car on the way to school. Each week the earlier time becomes easier as WE PARENTS get used to it! Many thanks to the author for the voice of reason in this book!! Even if the idea seems extreme, it is a needed correction to the craziness of sleep-deprivation. This book will do much in favor of healthy, happy kids.
Rating: 
Summary: not with my kids
Review: This book is not for my kids nor for my family. The author is not saying anything new but somehow others think she is, but that's ok. Just don't let it fool you into thinking it's a magical hour or solution as it is not and especially for working families or for older kids. Science has now proven that teens need more sleep in the mornings which will provide them with better starts later in the day. This is why so many people and entire school districts are now either changing or considering a change in the start time for middle school to high school. Medical professionals and Science now know that the brains of teens are still growing and developing leading to their natural abilities to stay up late and getting started later in the day. The 7 O'clock bedtime doesn't work for many families and soon will not work for the author, once her kids become older. We simply do not need another person making us feel guilty when in the long haul of parenting IT'S JUST NOT DOABLE. For a book that covers many of today's hot topics on kids, including teens, check out Mommy-CEO (Constantly Evaluating Others) 5 Golden Rules, Revised Edition, by Jodie Lynn. Lynn is a parenting expert in a syndicated column. The book is for all moms and parents in general and does not make anyone feel guilty. If you have children under the age of 8 then 7 o'clock can be utilized by setting the bedtime to 8 p.m. For what it's worth, both books are good reading for this age, but Mommy-CEO makes more sense on motivation for good grades, homework, sleep habits, mommy time and general happiness in family life.
|
