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Summer time is really difficult for kids in winter. How are they supposed to be awake when it’s 8:30am and still dark outside?

by baxtr 8y ago

jiveturkey 8y ago
just adjust the start time of school
alangpierce 8y ago
One solution (which may or may not be reasonable) is to have a norm where individual schools/offices/stores adjust the start time a few times throughout the year as sunrise changes. DST is basically a way to force everyone to do that together. A synchronized time shift has a lot of advantages, but also is forced even on places that don't need it (some latitudes, some types of businesses), and in some cases the 1-hour shift isn't enough, so it's not clear to me which approach is better.
IshKebab 8y ago
Erm, their parents can wake them up, or they have an alarm. Exactly like it already works.
- baxtr 8y ago
  Ok, I’ll admit: difficult for parents too! ;)
mcv 8y ago
My kids don't seem to care how dark it is. They can be happily awake in the middle of the night.
- zaarn 8y ago
  Kids do care a lot. The natural biorythm is synced to sunlight hours and going to school while it's dark out could either disrupt the rythm or alternatively have kids being half asleep in school later. This also goes for adults but there is less risk that it would lead to developmental issues later on.
lagadu 8y ago
I take it you don't live anywhere a fairly northern latitude. Up here DST or not makes no difference, it'll still be night at that time and kids do just fine.
- henrikschroder 8y ago
  It's so funny to watch these discussions and seeing people who absolutely cannot conceive of things being different for different people. Things they see as problems are just everyday life for other people, and it turns out that people cope just fine. When I grew up you went to school in the dark during winter, and when you went home from school it was already dark again. You got a little bit of sunlight during lunch break, and that was it. It's not like you had a choice...
  - baxtr 8y ago
    You are totally right. That’s something I realized too, when reading all the comments. Also, I think another thing I realized is that country cultures adapt to “normal” times, eg dinner in Spain is very late also due to the fact that they actually live in GMT... Re your point: just because it used to be that way doesn’t mean it should stay like that. If we can optimize now, I think we should
astrodust 8y ago
If you get rid of DST then it's not summer time in the winter, it's the same time it's always been in the winter.
diaz 8y ago
I wrote a very reasonable text explaining my position (when I did the online vote) in wanting to abolish the DST bullshit and then when deciding which time to choose I'd prefer winter time for this exact same reason. I'm not oblivious to how painful sad, mad and traumatizing it was waking up to go to school in pitch black. As if I care about a few more artificial day hours at the end of the day. Just let it all be consistent and let my body adapt correctly to the changes that occur naturally over the year in how the sun changes. Noticing the sun adding or removing time daily or weekly is a relaxing thing. Much more than suddenly my perception being changed abruptly and not feeling where and when the sun is at all for weeks after DST change.

Summer time is really difficult for kids in winter. How are they supposed to be awake when it’s 8:30am and still dark outside?

by baxtr 8y ago

Summer time is really difficult for kids in winter. How are they supposed to be awake when it’s 8:30am and still dark outside?

jiveturkey 8y ago

just adjust the start time of school

alangpierce 8y ago

One solution (which may or may not be reasonable) is to have a norm where individual schools/offices/stores adjust the start time a few times throughout the year as sunrise changes. DST is basically a way to force everyone to do that together. A synchronized time shift has a lot of advantages, but also is forced even on places that don't need it (some latitudes, some types of businesses), and in some cases the 1-hour shift isn't enough, so it's not clear to me which approach is better.

IshKebab 8y ago

Erm, their parents can wake them up, or they have an alarm. Exactly like it already works.

baxtr 8y ago
Ok, I’ll admit: difficult for parents too! ;)

mcv 8y ago

My kids don't seem to care how dark it is. They can be happily awake in the middle of the night.

zaarn 8y ago
Kids do care a lot. The natural biorythm is synced to sunlight hours and going to school while it's dark out could either disrupt the rythm or alternatively have kids being half asleep in school later. This also goes for adults but there is less risk that it would lead to developmental issues later on.

lagadu 8y ago

I take it you don't live anywhere a fairly northern latitude. Up here DST or not makes no difference, it'll still be night at that time and kids do just fine.

henrikschroder 8y ago
It's so funny to watch these discussions and seeing people who absolutely cannot conceive of things being different for different people. Things they see as problems are just everyday life for other people, and it turns out that people cope just fine. When I grew up you went to school in the dark during winter, and when you went home from school it was already dark again. You got a little bit of sunlight during lunch break, and that was it. It's not like you had a choice...
- baxtr 8y ago
  You are totally right. That’s something I realized too, when reading all the comments. Also, I think another thing I realized is that country cultures adapt to “normal” times, eg dinner in Spain is very late also due to the fact that they actually live in GMT... Re your point: just because it used to be that way doesn’t mean it should stay like that. If we can optimize now, I think we should

astrodust 8y ago

If you get rid of DST then it's not summer time in the winter, it's the same time it's always been in the winter.

diaz 8y ago

I wrote a very reasonable text explaining my position (when I did the online vote) in wanting to abolish the DST bullshit and then when deciding which time to choose I'd prefer winter time for this exact same reason. I'm not oblivious to how painful sad, mad and traumatizing it was waking up to go to school in pitch black. As if I care about a few more artificial day hours at the end of the day. Just let it all be consistent and let my body adapt correctly to the changes that occur naturally over the year in how the sun changes. Noticing the sun adding or removing time daily or weekly is a relaxing thing. Much more than suddenly my perception being changed abruptly and not feeling where and when the sun is at all for weeks after DST change.