I have never been good at getting acclimated to the "new time" when Daylight Saving Time starts -- spring ahead is rough for night owls! But, these days I have to be ready for just about anything because changing the time means that my daughter’s sleep schedule will be unpredictable for a week and I probably won’t know what time it is because I’ll forget to change the clock in my car. It never fails, that is the one clock I overlook... for days! And sometimes longer!
If you have a little question-asker like I do, come Saturday night, he/she will wonder why you need to set the clock ahead an hour. Well, the short answer is that daylight saving time is starting. The long answer is to explain WHY we have daylight saving time in the first place.
The first time daylight saving was used was during World War I to save electricity in the evening because during the summer months, it gives us an extra hour of daylight after work. There is some disagreement about whether the trouble of getting so many people to adjust to a new time is worth the savings, and I’m just along for the ride on that one. However, if we were to stop DST, it would really help me out with bedtime in the summer! “But it’s not dark yet, Mom!”
If that’s not enough info for your little inquisitor (that would be me 25 years ago), you can read more about daylight saving time in general and DST in the United States on Wikipedia (I thought it was interesting to read about how some states have handled it).
So, on Saturday night, before you go to bed, “spring ahead” an hour and remember that your kids are probably going to get up at the same time as usual, so go to bed early and get ready for whatever surprises those kiddies have in store.
