Parents When are they supposed to sleep?

[mommyof1]

Getting up at 5am every day would kill me.

This is a very good point. If YOU aren't getting enough sleep, you are going to have a hard time too. And when mama ain't happy ....

 

[Deleted member 18037]

In the advanced levels, swimming, golf, travel ball. Swimming has before and after-school practices.

But don't these things have seasons? I know travel ball does

 

[Jenny]

If she is not obliged to go to this school but it is purely her choice then she needs to choose between high level gymnastics and this school. It is crazy for any child to catch a bus to school at that time. What are they thinking.

Only different suggestion I can come up with from others very good ones is could you move nearer the school and move younger dd to a school nearby? I don't think I would have let my child make a decision like that without looking into how it would impact the whole family. And I don't get this waiting in a car line for an hour? What is that all about . We don't have those. School ends, parents come into playground, kids come out of class and go to parents and go home. Can your younger dd walk to meet you away from the school premises to avoid the line? Ours just need a note of permission to leave the school grounds by themselves.

 

[ginnymac]

But don't these things have seasons? I know travel ball does

For any sport these days, if you are competing at a high level, it is year round. Diver dd has as many hours as gymmie if you look at in the water plus dryland time. 2 a days 2xper week plus after school. Year round commitment.

 

[mommyof1]

This strikes me not so much as a gymnastics problem as a school start time/bus schedule problem. A 7:00 a.m. start time for high school, let alone a magnet school that draws students from all over, is just too early. The long bus ride compounds the problem. If a kid has to be at the bus stop at 5:30, she is going to have to get up at 4:30 or 5:00, which means falling asleep at 7:30 or 8:00 in order to get a full 9 hours of sleep. That wouldn't be possible for any teen, even if she didn't have sports practice in the evenings.

I have gone to some extraordinary lengths to get my kid where she needs to be, and I don't think I could make this one work even without gymnastics in the mix. Something would have to give, possibly the first-period class.

 

[ginnymac]

This strikes me not so much as a gymnastics problem as a school start time/bus schedule problem. A 7:00 a.m. start time for high school, let alone a magnet school that draws students from all over, is just too early. The long bus ride compounds the problem. If a kid has to be at the bus stop at 5:30, she is going to have to get up at 4:30 or 5:00, which means falling asleep at 7:30 or 8:00 in order to get a full 9 hours of sleep. That wouldn't be possible for any teen, even if she didn't have sports practice in the evenings.

I have gone to some extraordinary lengths to get my kid where she needs to be, and I don't think I could make this one work even without gymnastics in the mix. Something would have to give, possibly the first-period class.

Yes. In our town, we have a rule that no bus route can be more than 1 hour (as scheduled). Our hs has a later start time. It does affect after school sports with some other schools in our league, but it has been worked out.

 

[AmandaLynn]

What time does her school actually dismiss? When I was in high school, we had a 7am start time. But we were dismissed at 1:30pm.

Assuming her afternoon bus trip is as long as the morning one, she is spending 3 hours per day on a school bus/traveling to school!! There is her sleep time!

I, personally, would contact the school to see if they will grant her either a later entry time or an early release (possibly by giving her PE credit for the hours of gym she participates in). Either of these should be helpful. If she is allowed to come in late, you could drive both her and the other DD in to school together. If she is granted early release, you could possibly pick her up before you get in caarpool line for younger DD.

Also, she will have to get comfortable with the idea of homework on the bus and/or in the car and dinner in the car in the way home.

 

[GymDad9.9]

If she is not obliged to go to this school but it is purely her choice then she needs to choose between high level gymnastics and this school. It is crazy for any child to catch a bus to school at that time. What are they thinking.

Only different suggestion I can come up with from others very good ones is could you move nearer the school and move younger dd to a school nearby? I don't think I would have let my child make a decision like that without looking into how it would impact the whole family. And I don't get this waiting in a car line for an hour? What is that all about . We don't have those. School ends, parents come into playground, kids come out of class and go to parents and go home. Can your younger dd walk to meet you away from the school premises to avoid the line? Ours just need a note of permission to leave the school grounds by themselves.

Car Lines are real, they are long and they are ridiculous. At my daughter's school you can park a short distance from the school and walk and pick up your child and save some time. But that option may not always be available.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Don't even get me started on the drop off/pick up lines.

Heaven forbid a precious snowflake should have to walk a few feet. Line is about 10 car lengths. 10 cars at a time should be letting kids out. Its not wait until you are the first car.

And seriously I get it, if you have to have long hugs and smooches, fine, but park the freakin car. First day is a big production for me. I park the car. If its a production to get them and their stuff out, park the freakin car.

And once you drop off you need to go. There are teachers outside to make sure they get in the building. Just go. No one has escaped yet.

I hate the drop off line. Really I do

 

[duyetanh]

But don't these things have seasons? I know travel ball does

Swimming has 4 seasons.

 

[Lilou]

I agree that at some point you will have to decide whether sticking with the current school or current gymnastics schedule is worth it. Something has to give. I figure skated and left my friends and school to move away and train so I could be on the ice from 7-11am and weights/dance from 11-12. Then lunch and school from 1-5pm. Study hall at 6-7. No school dances, no prom, etc.... it's when you reach a point you can't have it all and you must pick. I honestly don't even bat an eye lash about missing a prom or whatnot in exchange for what figure skating gave me in life.

You can try to have her do online classes as you mentioned, homework in the car, naps when possible, find an alternative to not having to wait long to pick her up and drop her off... do what you can but eventually you may have harder choices to make. Good luck.

 

[Jenny]

Don't even get me started on the drop off/pick up lines.

Heaven forbid a precious snowflake should have to walk a few feet. Line is about 10 car lengths. 10 cars at a time should be letting kids out. Its not wait until you are the first car.

And seriously I get it, if you have to have long hugs and smooches, fine, but park the freakin car. First day is a big production for me. I park the car. If its a production to get them and their stuff out, park the freakin car.

And once you drop off you need to go. There are teachers outside to make sure they get in the building. Just go. No one has escaped yet.

I hate the drop off line. Really I do

Here we have 'park and strides' for schools where you park 10 mins away and walk in as so many cars trying to park around the school gate causes problems.

We also have 'walking buses' round us. They walk a set route into school with an organised adult at the front and back and you can join your kid in anywhere on that route. All wearing high viz vests. Brilliant Idea and free.

What would happen if you dropped your kid around the block away from school and they just walked in by themselves? Land of the free and all that?

 

[Deleted member 18037]

Here we have 'park and strides' for schools where you park 10 mins away and walk in as so many cars trying to park around the school gate causes problems.

We also have 'walking buses' round us. They walk a set route into school with an organised adult at the front and back and you can join your kid in anywhere on that route. All wearing high viz vests. Brilliant Idea and free.

What would happen if you dropped your kid around the block away from school and they just walked in by themselves? Land of the free and all that?

Love that walking bus idea. And the park and strides.

Unfortunately we have no sidewalks here. It really would be hazardous to walk on the road.

 

[mommyof1]

What would happen if you dropped your kid around the block away from school and they just walked in by themselves? Land of the free and all that?

Around here, the school would probably call child protective services and have the parents investigated, at least in elementary school. It is generally considered risky to let kids under age 12 be unsupervised alone or in public. Risky in the sense that it could invite scrutiny from the authorities.

 

[txgymfan]

Last year our school stopped the park and walk up option and I agreed with them . It was insane with parents parking at a nearby church walking on a narrow muddy path next to a busy road. Then parents tried to talk to the teachers on transport duty. Walking pick ups must go to a certain gate and parents must walk from home, no parking and walking to the gate. All kids must be released to an adult with a school issued tag. If I need to be at the front of the line I get there about 45 minutes early.

 

[twinmomma]

Swimming has 4 seasons.

As does travel ball. My son has at least 5 hours of practice, at minimum, and that's if he doesn't go to the two hour Friday night academy workout or strength and conditioning for an hour. Tournaments are held year round.

 

[Deleted member 18037]

As does travel ball. My son has at least 5 hours of practice, at minimum, and that's if he doesn't go to the two hour Friday night academy workout or strength and conditioning for an hour. Tournaments are held year round.

5 hours a week or day ????? Because even at year round 5-7 a week is way less then high hour gymnastics.

 

[twinmomma]

5 hours a week or day ????? Because even at year round 5-7 a week is way less then high hour gymnastics.

A week. And I'm well aware that it's different than high hour gymnastics - my L4 did 12 hours a week last year. My point was that it was year round, not high hours.

 

[gymisforeveryone]

Around here, the school would probably call child protective services and have the parents investigated, at least in elementary school. It is generally considered risky to let kids under age 12 be unsupervised alone or in public. Risky in the sense that it could invite scrutiny from the authorities.

Wow! I think we live in a bird home compared to the US and the UK. I have walked or biked to school since I was seven (first grader) and I was going to suggest that maybe she could ride a bike to go to school but I guess it's not a possible? Majority of the kids walk or bike by themselves or with their friends or siblings here. It's considered safe to do that on your own when you turn 7. Some schools in the biggest cities have forbidden biking from the first and second graders though. I have never seen a thing called car line. Bus rides are for kids who have longer than 5 km ride/walk to the school.

 

[rosiekat]

Totally OT, but you guys are making me nervous about letting my 2nd and 4th graders walk home from school today alone! (First day of school, it's only about 0.5 miles, and you can see it from my driveway, but still...although perhaps I should be more worried that they'll kill each other!)