石斯琳

Children need a lot of sleep. The American Academy of Pediatrics1 recommends2 9 to 12 hours per night for kids between age 6 and 12， but the sad reality is that few kids get this much sleep. Family schedules3 are so busy， packed with extracurriculars4， screen time， and late work hours， that putting a kid to bed at an early hour often seems impossible.

小孩子通常需要大量睡眠。美國(guó)兒科學(xué)會(huì)建議六到十二歲的兒童每晚睡眠要達(dá)到九到十二個(gè)小時(shí)，但可惜的是極少數(shù)兒童能達(dá)到這個(gè)標(biāo)準(zhǔn)。家庭日程被各種業(yè)余活動(dòng)，看各種電子產(chǎn)品的時(shí)間，以及熬夜做作業(yè)的時(shí)間塞得滿滿當(dāng)當(dāng)。這樣的日程安排讓兒童早睡早起變成了一件可望不可及的事。

There are good reasons， however， to make this a priority5. Getting enough sleep has been linked to better academic6 performance， better mental health， and lower body weight. By contrast， when sleep is lacking， kids tend to be more aggressive7. Teenagers can become suicidal8.

小孩子早睡早起是頭等大事這種說法可不是空穴來風(fēng)的。擁有足夠的睡眠與良好的學(xué)業(yè)成績(jī)、健康的精神狀況和體重息息相關(guān)。與此相反，若睡眠不足，孩子會(huì)變得煩躁好斗。青少年則會(huì)有自殺傾向。

In an effort to encourage parents to put their kids to bed early， one elementary school in Wisconsin created a chart that shows the best time to put a kid to bed， depending on their age and when they have to wake up. For example， a 6-year-old who needs to be up by 6：30 a.m. should be in bed by 7：30， while their 8-year-old sibling9 could stay up till 8 p.m. if he/she has the same wake time.

威斯康辛（美國(guó)州名）的一所小學(xué)為了鼓勵(lì)家長(zhǎng)督促他們的孩子早睡早起，繪制了一張表格，向家長(zhǎng)們展示孩子上床的最佳時(shí)間，而這個(gè)最佳時(shí)間取決于孩子們的年齡和起床的時(shí)間。例如，一個(gè)六歲的兒童如果早上六點(diǎn)半起床，那么晚上七點(diǎn)半就要上床。然而跟他同一時(shí)間（早上六點(diǎn)半）起床的八歲的兄弟（姐妹），可以等到八點(diǎn)再上床睡覺。

The chart was originally10 posted in 2015 and has been shared nearly a half-million times on Facebook since then， which shows that parents are looking for guidance on bedtime schedules.

這個(gè)表格最初于2015年發(fā)表，自那以后，在臉書的轉(zhuǎn)發(fā)量達(dá)到了近50萬(wàn)。這表明父母?jìng)冋诜e極尋求孩子們就寢時(shí)間的幫助指導(dǎo)。

I was excited to see this chart because Im a big advocate11 of early bedtimes， not only for my childrens health， but also for the health of the family. With kids in bed by 7 p.m. every night， it frees up three hours each evening for me and my husband to do whatever we want—a workout in the garage， baking in the kitchen， an adult dinner party， going out with friends， or simply lying on the couch in silence with a book. I honestly think Id go crazy if I didnt have that free time each night.

我看到這張表格時(shí)無比激動(dòng)，因?yàn)槲沂莾和缢闹С终摺Ｔ缢粌H是為了孩子的健康，更關(guān)系到家庭的幸福。我們家的小孩每晚七點(diǎn)上床，意味著每天晚上多出了三個(gè)小時(shí)的空余時(shí)間可供我和我丈夫隨意支配——在車庫(kù)健身、去廚房烘培、邀請(qǐng)朋友參加晚宴、同朋友外出聚會(huì)，或者就簡(jiǎn)簡(jiǎn)單單地窩在沙發(fā)里，讓一本書安安靜靜地陪伴著我。如果每天晚上沒有這樣的空余時(shí)間，我真的會(huì)不知所措。

If you still have doubts， please realize that “putting kids to bed” is different than “going to sleep”. Just because mine are in bed at 7 does not mean theyre asleep by 7：10. Sometimes theyre awake till after 8：30， just talking to themselves or singing quietly or yelling for water or hugs. But it doesnt matter because theyre in their sleep space and Im off parenting duty.

如果你仍然心存疑問，請(qǐng)務(wù)必弄清楚一點(diǎn)：“哄孩子上床”與“入睡”完全是兩回事。我的孩子七點(diǎn)上床并不意味著他們七點(diǎn)十分就進(jìn)入夢(mèng)鄉(xiāng)。有時(shí)他們八點(diǎn)半之后才會(huì)睡著，這期間他們自說自話，或者哼著歌，或吵嚷著要喝水、擁抱。但這都沒關(guān)系。因?yàn)橹灰⒆觽兩洗擦耍麄兙褪窃谒X區(qū)間里面，而我則不需要再看護(hù)他們了。

Bedtime should depend on a schedule， not on perceived12 tiredness. Give it a try； you will be pleasantly surprised at how wonderful it is to have well-rested kids and time to yourself.

孩子們的睡覺時(shí)間取決于有規(guī)律的時(shí)間表，而不應(yīng)等到明顯疲累才上床。試試看吧！你會(huì)驚喜地發(fā)現(xiàn)生活中有一個(gè)擁有良好睡眠習(xí)慣的孩子以及可供自己支配的時(shí)間是多么美好！

1. pediatrics [ ] n. 小兒科

2. recommend [ ] vt. 推薦；建議

3. schedule [ ] n. 時(shí)間表，日程

4. extracurricular [ ] adj. 課外的；業(yè)余的

5. priority [ ] n. 優(yōu)先權(quán)；優(yōu)先

6. academic [ ] adj. 學(xué)院的；學(xué)術(shù)的

7. aggressive [ ] adj. 侵略的；進(jìn)攻性的；好斗的

8. suicidal [ ] adj. 自殺的，自殺性的；自我毀滅的

9. sibling [ ] n. 兄弟姊妹

10. originally [ ] adv. 原本；起初

11. advocate [ ] v. 提倡；主張

12. perceive [ ] v. 注意到；覺察到