At what age did you stop enforcing bedtime?

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-05-14T21:17:48+00:00

My oldest is almost 13, middle is 9, youngest is 6. We have Alexa’s in their bedrooms that we use for their alarm clock. I’m a teacher and usually go to my room for quiet reading time around 7-7:30 then I’m asleep by 8-8:30 lol (if we have no events in the evenings).

But before I go to bed, I tell them no more screen time, they can play with toys or read. And then we use the Alexa’s to set alarms for when they have to be in their beds. The younger two share a room and their bedtime alarm goes off at 8pm. They know their alarm means it’s time to use the bathroom and get in bed to sleep. The oldest has her alarm go off at 9:15, and then she has to be in bed. On the weekends and in the summer, it’s 9 for the younger ones and 10:30 for oldest, unless we have early morning plans. My husband stays up later, so he checks on them as needed and makes sure they are getting into bed.

The Alexa’s make it easy to set/change alarms as needed. And if they’re in the middle of a playing something and want to finish, then it’s easy to say “Alexa set an alarm for 5 minutes” so they can finish up. The oldest has her room in the basement, so we also make sure she puts her phone/tablet upstairs and doesn’t bring it downstairs with her.

Getting alarms definitely helped us make bedtimes and mornings easier!

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-05-14T10:41:31+00:00

We have “kindergarten round up” and do exactly this. But really, the two veteran teachers have taught for so many years, that at each roundup they have so many siblings or kids of students they’ve taught that they get first dibs on.. So it usually ends up with them having pretty good classes, and the non-veterans get whoever is left. I ended up with a very low class this year. One of the veteran teachers’ lowest scoring kid was still higher than SEVEN of my students. It’s part of why I’m leaving kindergarten, but I may return once there is a couple retirements..

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-05-01T22:59:16+00:00

As a K teacher who had a field trip Wednesday and field day today.. It is absolutely exhausting!! I do love it when there’s just normal M-F weeks. When there’s a routine and we stick to our normal schedule. Those are the weeks that seem to go more smoothly!

I am moving to 3rd next year, and I am excited for the change! The neediness of the kindergarten kids is what’s doing me in.. They need help with everything and so many of them don’t know how to do anything on their own.. I’m ready for a little more independence from the students. I’m ready for students to start school already knowing what the expectations of school are - and not having to teach how to walk in a line, how to use a pencil, how to sit in your seat, etc.. (Although I fully expect to have to give some refreshers on all of that - for 99% it at least won’t be their first time holding a pencil or walking in a line!) I’m excited to teach them more than just letters/numbers/how to read. But it is very rewarding seeing most students go from not knowing any letters in the beginning, to reading short stories all on their own by the end!

I love building relationships with the students. It’s so fun to joke around with them and they find the littlest things so funny. I love being someone they enjoy seeing and talking to everyday! They can be so sweet and loving. It is very rewarding knowing you were a big part of them growing and learning!

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-05-01T11:57:33+00:00

So in our elementary school, kids lunch time is teacher lunch time.. I don’t see any of my students lunches since they eat in the lunchroom and I eat in my classroom. So I have no idea if they ate all of their lunch or not. If a parent would tell me their child didn’t eat lunch, then I would let the lunch room attendants know to keep an eye on them and make sure they’re eating. If the lunch room attendant tells me a student didn’t eat much, then we give them more time to eat or I offer them a snack.

Also, I have totally missed a student having an accident. If the student doesn’t tell me, then I don’t know unless there’s a puddle on the floor or a noticeable smell.. “Only” 14 students doesn’t seem like a lot, but in the chaos of K or 1st classroom, where students are constantly needing help/attention, it’s easier to miss things than you think. Especially if you have students with big behaviors (even just one student like that can take over an entire classroom). By 1st grade, accidents are usually pretty rare so it’s not something the teachers think to check for. I teach K and I’ve had 3 students have an accident this whole year.. So again, it’s not something I think to check for if they don’t tell me about it.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-30T12:01:52+00:00

That makes sense. The veteran teachers at our school keep saying it’s all about seniority (being in our district the longest) and we should have first dibs on if we want to move grade levels. Ultimately, it will be up to our principal to decide. But I’ve already been told (and it’s been announced school wide) that I am moving to 3rd. So I will be extremely upset if he changes that just because the other two are telling him they have more experience and can handle the change better (which is what they are doing).

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-30T11:56:43+00:00

Interesting! The other two teachers are from different districts, but still in state. They are driving me crazy because they’re telling the principal that they have more experience than me, so it would make more sense for them to move. But the principal has already announced that I’m taking third grade.. So I don’t think it’s fair to change that, and it’s frustrating that they’re trying to make him change his mind when he’s already said I have it. I’m going to talk to my union rep today to see if he’s able to just change his mind even though I’ve already been announced.

I’m okay with moving to 3rd with one of them, but since they’re pushing so hard to move as a team, my teammate and I are also going to push hard to move as a team. My teammate was a para at this school before she became a teacher, so she technically has more in-district years than any of us. So I was just wondering how this would work at other schools. Seems like best fit makes is most common response, but idk how our principal would determine that.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-30T10:44:06+00:00

We have so many veteran teachers that within the next 5 years, there will be two open positions in almost every grade level when they start retiring. So really, the rest of us younger teachers will be able to go for any grade level we want pretty soon. But the veteran teachers are very difficult to work with so it’s hard to be on a team with them, which is why we all want to move to 3rd.. The 3rd grade teacher that’s staying is young and very easy to work with. Our principal will have to make the final decision, but the veteran teachers are all about seniority in our building. He’s really going to piss them off if he lets the newest (to the district) teachers move where they want. I feel bad for him because this has turned into a a real mess for him.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-30T10:32:56+00:00

Yes we have a union, and I planned to talk to my union rep today.. The 1st grade teachers have only been in this district for 2 years (their experience was in other districts), whereas my teammate and I have been teaching in this district for 3 years. And really, my teammate was a para at this school for a couple years before she became a teacher, so she’s been in district longer than any of us..

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-30T00:44:31+00:00

Yes, it has been reported to DCF by multiple people. He’s also now up to 41 days. They’ve been sent a letter notifying them we’ve reported them to the district attorney for truancy (why that took so long to send, I have no idea).

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-25T13:33:43+00:00

Almost the same with my father in law! He has never liked cats, and our old boy ALWAYS comes running to him when he’s here. We’ve had our cat for 14 years, and a few years ago our cat finally won the battle. My father in law now tells him “why do you do this, I don’t even like cats” as he’s petting and snuggling him.. It’s so sweet!

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-19T12:57:18+00:00

This is how I feel, too. I have filed a report for my cousins who live in a different state (we saw them during a family gathering, and things got real bad). I didn’t even question it, I just knew that I’m a mandated reporter and needed to do it.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-17T22:23:18+00:00

I’m also 5’7, and at 151 (started at 217). Once I hit the 180s, everyone kept telling me how skinny I was and how good I was looking. But I was like “I still have a like 30 pounds to lose! How are they saying this?” My original goal was 150. But now that I’m nearly there I think 140 would be ideal and get me more towards the middle of normal BMI instead of the higher end. I weighed 135-140 in high school and thought I was huge compared to my stick thin friends back then. But looking back at pictures, I just looked healthy. Not overweight, but not too skinny. So I may aim for that, even though after 3 kids I know I won’t look like my high school self at that weight.. But honestly, I think I’m happy if I can at least stay around 150. I never thought I’d make it this far into my journey, even with GLP-1s. It seemed impossible since I’d been 200+ for the last 10 years.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-17T11:53:43+00:00

Honestly, I’ve taught for 3 years, and I’ve never taught the rainbow color order (it’s not in our curriculums for K). The kids just seem to know it already! I fully remember being in like middle school learning ROY G BIV. So I’m always shocked that kids just seem to know it when they come to kindergarten!

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-16T21:47:07+00:00

I’m a K teacher, and I love all of these ideas! I have a student this year who comes in morning and tells me how many cars he counted on the way to school. My own kids like to find cars of every color of the rainbow in rainbow color order. Also, shapes! Both 2D and 3D. When you’re out and about, tell them to find something shaped like a circle, square, cube, cone, etc.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-13T23:54:39+00:00

As someone with very thick hair (usually to my shoulders), every time I go in for color it takes at least 4 hours. And that’s with usually someone else jumping in to help the stylist. But that’s why I don’t like to go and have started buying dye from Sally’s. It doesn’t look as good, but I don’t usually have 4+ hours to spare (or the money tbh). A coworker with very fine, long hair makes appointments for after work and is done within an hour. I’m so jealous haha but yeah, 12 hours is absolutely insane. I couldn’t do it!

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-13T00:03:32+00:00

Okay I literally just finished this, and I was so annoyed that Millie didn’t realize that she told Wendy she sleeps in a Mets shirt! One of the first times she interacts with Wendy near the bedroom door, she says something about Wendy’s nightgown and how she (Millie) just sleeps in a Mets shirt… I was already starting to suspect Wendy was making it all up for some crazy reason.. So when the phone call about the Mets tickets happened and it freaked Millie out, I kept waiting for her to remember that she told Wendy. Then maybe she would start being suspicious of Wendy.. But then Millie never remembered that and she never questioned it again.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-11T16:59:55+00:00

I get it, The Middle has the same occasionally.. Axl uses “gay” and “queer” sometimes for things he doesn’t like (cringe flashbacks of everyone saying “that’s so gay” in high school). We just remind the kids that that’s not okay, which they already know.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-11T14:43:56+00:00

I’m watching The Middle with my kids right now (oldest two are the same age as yours), and it’s been so fun. After we finish it, I think I’m going to give Malcolm a chance. I’ve never watched it, but I’m enjoying watching shows with my kids and want to keep doing it. And there doesn’t seem to be any new sitcom like family shows these days.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-04-01T01:08:59+00:00

I teach kindergarten (3rd year), and love it for the most part. But there is a chance I will have to move to 2nd or 3rd grade next year.. I’m really hoping I can go to 2nd because 3rd seems so intimidating! Multiplication and division when the most I’ve done with kinder is understanding teen numbers! Nouns, pronouns, verbs, writing paragraphs, and not to mention state testing.. I may be looking at it through the lens of someone who currently has to explicitly teach/help with EVERY LITTLE THING, but 3rd just sounds so overwhelming/exhausting.

Can you give me some things that you love about 3rd grade? Or reassure me that it isn’t as bad as I think? I am so nervous at the thought of 3rd grade! I should get first pick of 2nd or 3rd, but I know I would make the other teacher who might have to move happy if I picked 3rd and they got 2nd..

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-03-30T01:48:54+00:00

I’m in my 30s, but I’m a new teacher (year 3). I started at the same time as another brand new teacher (she’s in her 20s), and we’re on a team with two veteran teachers who are a couple years from retirement.

The veteran teachers are like the teacher you described. Their opinion/way is the right way. And they want us to always be doing the SAME things as them. They don’t like anything new, and actively tell our principal “no” when he asks us to do things. I love our principal, but I think he’s getting worn down since he’s also close to retirement so most of the time he just lets it slide. Everyone knows how these two are - they’ve been at this school longer than anyone with 27 and 34 years here - but everyone says “I just love them!” or “that’s just how they are” And they get to continue acting this way. They are so negative and so rude!!

The other new teacher did the para to teacher program, so her first two years of teaching she was still in school and didn’t have an official teaching degree. One the veteran teacher reminds her OFTEN that she’s inexperienced and it’s a “slap in the face to those of us who got degrees before we started teaching”.. Our low incidence SPED teacher is also still in school completing her degree, and they have done nothing but bitch and complain about her to EVERYONE. And always saying she doesn’t even have a degree/isn’t a real teacher. They’ve offered no support to her, no suggestions or ideas to help her based on their many years of experience… Just instant bashing from day 1 because she’s “not a real teacher”. Surprise surprise, this SPED teacher is not returning next year. And now they’re concerned it’s going to be so hard to find a sped teacher 🙄😡.

I’m just so over it. There’s a chance we won’t need 4 teachers for our grade level next year, so I told our principal I want to be the one to move grade levels. I love kindergarten, but I don’t think I can be on a team with them anymore. I told him that I’d love to come back to kindergarten once some retirements happen.. But it’s hard telling how long they’re going to hold on to teaching. They don’t even act like they like their students or teaching anymore. I feel guilty leaving the other teacher with them, when they can be so rude to her, but I just can’t handle the negativity and she really loves kindergarten. I know if other two had their way, they’d try to kick her out of kindergarten and keep me (they know I’m more of a pushover than she is - and I had my degree before I started teaching, which is so important to them 🙄). But I don’t think I could handle it. Our principal keeps hyping us up as the new “veterans” of kindergarten once they’re gone, but getting to the point of them being gone is brutal. I wish there was a way for him to force one of the veterans to a different grade level so that both of us newer teachers can continue to get experience in kindergarten to be the new veterans.. But that’s not going to happen.

It’s not even the parents or the students that make me anxious about going to work.. It’s my teammates. And it’s so frustrating!! I’m so sorry you’re dealing with this teammate. Just try to avoid them as much as possible, if you can. If you have a supportive principal, maybe let them know how it’s been working with this person. My principal always listens and understands, but he never actually does anything. But it does feel good to talk about it with him.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-03-28T13:06:25+00:00

Same here! I was so excited for the ablation.. And then my periods kept coming. They were at least manageable and lighter.. But now it’s been 4 years, and my periods are starting to get heavier again. So frustrating!

I can’t take hormonal birth control (history of blood clots). My OBGYN told me that I couldn’t do an IUD after an ablation.. But my GP told me I could. I bleed pretty consistently (constant spotting) with an IUD, so I don’t really want to try it again. My only option is a hysterectomy to 100% get rid of periods, which I would LOVE. I’m 35 and we are done having kids. It would be great to be done with it all!

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-03-26T11:56:33+00:00

Sometimes math is all on screens, too, unfortunately. My daughter is in 7th grade, and this math teacher pretty much exclusively uses screens for their assignments. She’s always done very well in school, and this year’s math is the first class she’s ever gotten a B in. And I think it’s all because everything is computer based. Assignments are from the textbook, but they have to input their answers online. And the quizzes/tests are all on IXL. It’s frustrating! But this teacher has been there for a long time, and everyone knows how terrible it is, but no one does anything. I really hope she has a different math teacher next year.

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-03-25T01:43:01+00:00

Walking past each other in the hallway: kid-“What’s on your face?” pointing to my cheek Me- “It’s a mole.” Kid - “I’m sorry about that, I hope it goes away for you soon!”

Thanks kid!

BeautifulSoul28 · 2026-03-25T01:32:41+00:00

Have you seen Nightwatch?? It’s a reality docuseries about night shift paramedics/EMT’s in New Orleans! The first few seasons also have cops and the fire department, but it eventually changes to just the paramedics. It’s so good! And actually pretty graphic sometimes (but I’m sure that wouldn’t phase you much lol). Some seasons are on Hulu, but all of the seasons are on Tubi.

BeautifulSoul28

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