First 5 Nevada County’s Blog

posted by Carol White

My daughter’s class spent a month this year studying bears and camping. Her teacher had a sign in the classroom that read, “No Growling Allowed.” Now no one in the whole world, unless you know us really, really, well, would ever guess that my daughter growls. She looks far too quiet and sweet to growl, but trust me, she does. I’ll see her coming towards me with both hands on her hips and a low “grrrrr.” I’ve never met a bear in the woods, but I’m sure my reaction would be about the same—curl up in a ball, and get ready to be mauled.

Usually growling goes hand-in-hand with not enough sleep.  This this time of year, not enough sleep is the norm.  Since the time change my daughter has woken up every morning at 6 a.m.  If you keep her up until midnight, she also wakes up at 6 a.m., except every once in a while when she sleeps until 6:45 a.m.  Now getting her to bed early enough for her to feel rested in the morning is next to impossible.  Every night we try to go upstairs to bed at 7 p.m. and then maybe she’ll be fast asleep by 8 p.m.  Usually it’s more like 8:45 p.m. and then the next morning at 6 a.m. she is wide awake and growling.

Once summer vacation rolls around and she is up late every night for a couple of weeks, she’ll finally throw in the towel and start sleeping until 8 a.m. I can’t wait.  This time of year with the nights getting shorter it’s all I can stand to start bedtime at 7 p.m.  Bring on summer vacation… I’m ready!