I guess we all have our preferences about standard v DST. Imo, school starting early doesn't really work for anyone but the ones whose aim is to create obedient drones who get used to doing shit we don't actually want to do. Teens have brains that don't function well that early, anyway. If the issue is that we don't want our kids going to school in the dark...start school later.
The teenage brain is biologically wired differently when it comes to sleep and alertness, particularly in the early morning. This isn't laziness—it's a well-documented shift in circadian rhythms during puberty.
Why this happens: During adolescence (roughly starting around puberty), two key biological changes occur:Delayed melatonin release: Melatonin (the hormone that signals sleepiness) is released later in the evening for teens—often around 10:45–11:00 PM or later—compared to younger children or adults. It also stays elevated longer into the morning.
themarginalian.org
Circadian phase delay (also called "sleep phase delay"): The internal body clock shifts later by up to 2 hours. Teens naturally prefer later bedtimes and wake times. Their brains build up sleep pressure (the drive to sleep) more slowly, making it harder to fall asleep early and easier to stay up later.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
This means many teens are still producing melatonin (feeling sleepy) when forced to wake up for early school or activities, leading to grogginess, reduced alertness, and impaired cognitive function in the early morning.
Courtesy of Grok. So yes, obviously, parenting is the number one factor in how our children function in this world. Each child requires a unique style of parenting, so a blanket statement that being un-gentle with your offspring is the way to go misses the mark, and opportunity for a different kind of relationship is lost.
I guess we all have our preferences about standard v DST. Imo, school starting early doesn't really work for anyone but the ones whose aim is to create obedient drones who get used to doing shit we don't actually want to do. Teens have brains that don't function well that early, anyway. If the issue is that we don't want our kids going to school in the dark...start school later.
Kid brains function when parents parent!! Gentle parenters produce kids that can’t function no matter what time it is!
The teenage brain is biologically wired differently when it comes to sleep and alertness, particularly in the early morning. This isn't laziness—it's a well-documented shift in circadian rhythms during puberty.
Why this happens: During adolescence (roughly starting around puberty), two key biological changes occur:Delayed melatonin release: Melatonin (the hormone that signals sleepiness) is released later in the evening for teens—often around 10:45–11:00 PM or later—compared to younger children or adults. It also stays elevated longer into the morning.
themarginalian.org
Circadian phase delay (also called "sleep phase delay"): The internal body clock shifts later by up to 2 hours. Teens naturally prefer later bedtimes and wake times. Their brains build up sleep pressure (the drive to sleep) more slowly, making it harder to fall asleep early and easier to stay up later.
pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov
This means many teens are still producing melatonin (feeling sleepy) when forced to wake up for early school or activities, leading to grogginess, reduced alertness, and impaired cognitive function in the early morning.
Courtesy of Grok. So yes, obviously, parenting is the number one factor in how our children function in this world. Each child requires a unique style of parenting, so a blanket statement that being un-gentle with your offspring is the way to go misses the mark, and opportunity for a different kind of relationship is lost.
My son’s high school had a start time of 9 am for this reason. Teen brains need more sleep.
I think we need to consider that school as we know it may become very, very different than it is now.
It has to.