There are lists on the internet of over 100 different torture methods, both psychological and physical.  Torture methods that are used on various types of people for various reasons.  When I think of torture, the standard things that come to mind are beatings, sexual abuse, starvation, and water torture.  If I think about it some more, crazy things that you see in the movies come to mind.

One very effective method of torture is sleep deprivation.  I would think/hope that most of us would never ever consider torturing our children in the ways I've already described.  Yet, any time I go anywhere after 9pm I witness parents torturing their children.

Children, under the age of five, especially, should be in bed by 9pm (if not earlier).  I can't tell you how many times I've been to the store to watch so many little kids breakdown from exhaustion.  And what's worse is that their parents are none the wiser. 

If children, like grow-ups, don't get enough sleep, research shows that they have a harder time learning in school, they learn slower because they lack focus; they are crankier (as are grown-ups); and they even grow slower!  Yet, as a society we continue to deprive our children (and ourselves) of proper sleep.

There is a popular saying that says, "I'll sleep when I'm dead."  The irony of that statement is that you'll be dead sooner if you don't sleep. 

Sleep is the body's way of recharging.  We all have a cell phone or a some kind of small electronic device(s) that we religiously plug in every night so that we can have its full use the next day right?  Why then do we deprive ourselves and our children of our daily full potential?  Just as we wouldn't allow our kids to miss a meal, we shouldn't allow them to miss out on sleep.

The National Sleep Foundation has many guidelines on sleep assistance for grown-ups and children. 

On an average, children age five and under need about 11-18 hours of sleep, per day!  That may seem like a lot but you have to consider that children are constantly growing; physically and mentally.  Their batteries need a lot more juice than a full grown adult.

This is a fairly recent phenomenon.  Think about it.  Before the advent of electricity, what was there to do after the sun went down?  There is not a whole lot you can do by candlelight.  Besides, often times, people were exhausted from the day's work (since they didn't have dish washers, washing machines, vacuum cleaners, or bread machines).  So, people had no other choice but to get eight hours of sleep!

But now a-days, you have television (the number one culprit), the internet, the telephone, and various other devices.  There are tons of electronics that we use on a daily basis after the sun has set.

I can't tell you how much it burns me up to see people out with their kids past 11pm.  I just want to knock some sense into them!  That is my number one pet peeve!

I have a lot to say on this topic so stay tuned...