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I know you’re joking, but this kind of hyperbole is kind of out of control when discussing kids on the internet. People seem to forget that young kids sleep a l

I know you’re joking, but this kind of hyperbole is kind of out of control when discussing kids on the internet. People seem to forget that young kids sleep a lot and eventually they go to school and/or daycare.

pnpnp 4y ago
Some kids also sleep a lot, but in shorter intervals.
op00to 4y ago
In my experience young kids stay up all night, and I work when they’re in school. I am not joking. I am on cold #3 in 3 weeks, each one introduced by our youngest and ripped through each family member one by one. Life is misery for the next month or so.
- seanmcdirmid 4y ago
  We have one day a month or two where my 6 year old has a bad night, so I guess we are lucky. He hates taking pain relief medication (e.g. to get a fever down so he can go back to sleep), so it can be tough on those nights. I am at an age where it is tougher to get back to sleep also, so I might be up for 5 hours after our kid was up for 30 minutes or so.
r3trohack3r 4y ago
Serious question, do you have kids? The age from 0-4 for me has been nothing like what you describe. The first year is nothing but chronic sleep deprivation and recovery from it. The next three years they are extremely dependent. Yeah they sleep for 10-12 hours, but you’re drained by then especially if you’re working a job on top of it. You have the time to do things but not the energy. Even when they sleep you’re still trapped at home because you legally (and ethically) can’t leave the house with them alone. If you’re lucky enough to have the financial stability to afford a nanny/babysitter for date nights you have to be strategic, is that random movie really worth blowing your one night out on? Every moment that isn’t necessary for work or parenthood has to be strategically spent because moments of both high energy and free time are rare. The workload is double (maybe more) for mom given the 9months of carrying the child, having a tiny person relying on them for food supply non-stop, and the raging hormones from all that. This 4 year window resets every time you have a kid. I’m guessing you’re not a parent, but maybe you have had an entirely different experience than me. Maybe I’m doing it wrong.
- YZF 4y ago
  There are lots of different approaches. What worked for us was maternal/parental leave. I took 3 months off. My wife decided to stop working. Having our baby girl sleep close to her mother so things like feeding in the middle of the night become much simpler. Having family around to help is yet another variable (we didn't much but some people make use of that). Two kids so we have a sample of two. No daycare either. Your life will still change a lot. If you're starting point is that your kids are going to restrict your ability to go out to see a movie without them then that can be a problem. We stuck our babies in carriers and did things with them. This is very much a religious/individual choice/endless debate kind of topics. Only second to tabs vs. spaces. But there are lots of choices that can be made here (including the choice not to have a child in the first place).
  - nytesky 4y ago
    Your wife not working is the secret sauce. If you live in a neighborhood with other SAHM, and they hang out to avoid isolation, the young years are golden. Being a working parent couple is a relentless slog with every moment spoken for.
- darkerside 4y ago
  Also possible he/she has a stay at home spouse. It's stunningly easy to never realize how tough this is when you're not responsible for at least half of it.
  - watwut 4y ago
    I was stay at home and kid was easy part. Through social isolation, boredom, deadly routine, the forced passivity, lack of ability to do hobbies and be competitive, feeling useless and unused most of time were hard.
    - darkerside 4y ago
      It takes work to structure a rewarding life around raising children, but it can certainly be done and often is.
TeMPOraL 4y ago
> People seem to forget that young kids sleep a lot and eventually they go to school and/or daycare. Oh yeah? People writing things like this tend to forget that there's a 1-2 year gap between "sleep a lot" and "go to daycare". In that period, a kid may sleep a total of 8-10 hours each day, which in practice means parents have to trade sleep against personal or couple time. Small kids are like running the same movie scene, with the same pun, on a loop: - Parents: It can't possibly get any worse. - Narrator: It did. What's the loop stop condition? I don't know. I'll tell you when I get there.
JenrHywy 4y ago
I really enjoy being a father. It is 100% worth it. But the first 4 or 5 years are brutal. Tack on a few more if your kids a "special needs". There is a ton of that period is which is amazing and profound. I think in general parenting get a bad rap. But I literally LOL'd at the GP's comment because it was so relatable. Also because I'm sleep deprived after being up several nights in a row helping one of my kids deal with a medication change that has messed with his sleep.
lordnacho 4y ago
They sleep a lot but you don't know when. You can't plan anything around it.

pnpnp 4y ago

Some kids also sleep a lot, but in shorter intervals.

op00to 4y ago

In my experience young kids stay up all night, and I work when they’re in school. I am not joking. I am on cold #3 in 3 weeks, each one introduced by our youngest and ripped through each family member one by one. Life is misery for the next month or so.

seanmcdirmid 4y ago
We have one day a month or two where my 6 year old has a bad night, so I guess we are lucky. He hates taking pain relief medication (e.g. to get a fever down so he can go back to sleep), so it can be tough on those nights. I am at an age where it is tougher to get back to sleep also, so I might be up for 5 hours after our kid was up for 30 minutes or so.

r3trohack3r 4y ago

Serious question, do you have kids? The age from 0-4 for me has been nothing like what you describe. The first year is nothing but chronic sleep deprivation and recovery from it. The next three years they are extremely dependent. Yeah they sleep for 10-12 hours, but you’re drained by then especially if you’re working a job on top of it. You have the time to do things but not the energy. Even when they sleep you’re still trapped at home because you legally (and ethically) can’t leave the house with them alone. If you’re lucky enough to have the financial stability to afford a nanny/babysitter for date nights you have to be strategic, is that random movie really worth blowing your one night out on? Every moment that isn’t necessary for work or parenthood has to be strategically spent because moments of both high energy and free time are rare. The workload is double (maybe more) for mom given the 9months of carrying the child, having a tiny person relying on them for food supply non-stop, and the raging hormones from all that. This 4 year window resets every time you have a kid. I’m guessing you’re not a parent, but maybe you have had an entirely different experience than me. Maybe I’m doing it wrong.

YZF 4y ago
There are lots of different approaches. What worked for us was maternal/parental leave. I took 3 months off. My wife decided to stop working. Having our baby girl sleep close to her mother so things like feeding in the middle of the night become much simpler. Having family around to help is yet another variable (we didn't much but some people make use of that). Two kids so we have a sample of two. No daycare either. Your life will still change a lot. If you're starting point is that your kids are going to restrict your ability to go out to see a movie without them then that can be a problem. We stuck our babies in carriers and did things with them. This is very much a religious/individual choice/endless debate kind of topics. Only second to tabs vs. spaces. But there are lots of choices that can be made here (including the choice not to have a child in the first place).
- nytesky 4y ago
  Your wife not working is the secret sauce. If you live in a neighborhood with other SAHM, and they hang out to avoid isolation, the young years are golden. Being a working parent couple is a relentless slog with every moment spoken for.
darkerside 4y ago
Also possible he/she has a stay at home spouse. It's stunningly easy to never realize how tough this is when you're not responsible for at least half of it.
- watwut 4y ago
  I was stay at home and kid was easy part. Through social isolation, boredom, deadly routine, the forced passivity, lack of ability to do hobbies and be competitive, feeling useless and unused most of time were hard.
  - darkerside 4y ago
    It takes work to structure a rewarding life around raising children, but it can certainly be done and often is.

TeMPOraL 4y ago

> People seem to forget that young kids sleep a lot and eventually they go to school and/or daycare. Oh yeah? People writing things like this tend to forget that there's a 1-2 year gap between "sleep a lot" and "go to daycare". In that period, a kid may sleep a total of 8-10 hours each day, which in practice means parents have to trade sleep against personal or couple time. Small kids are like running the same movie scene, with the same pun, on a loop: - Parents: It can't possibly get any worse. - Narrator: It did. What's the loop stop condition? I don't know. I'll tell you when I get there.

JenrHywy 4y ago

I really enjoy being a father. It is 100% worth it. But the first 4 or 5 years are brutal. Tack on a few more if your kids a "special needs". There is a ton of that period is which is amazing and profound. I think in general parenting get a bad rap. But I literally LOL'd at the GP's comment because it was so relatable. Also because I'm sleep deprived after being up several nights in a row helping one of my kids deal with a medication change that has messed with his sleep.

lordnacho 4y ago

They sleep a lot but you don't know when. You can't plan anything around it.