Last weekend, we fell back in time. It is no longer Daylight Savings Time. To many of us, this seems like a trivial event. To some, it is a more major transition. I suppose it depends on how resilient one's children are and how many clocks we own. Losing an hour of sleep when Springing forward tends to be more difficult. Nonetheless, Daylight Savings time may be considered a "transition" assuming it has these three components-- it changes our routine, it causes an emotional response and it causes us to reflect/make plans. Losing a loved one, changing one's career or starting school again in the Fall is a more major transition for most of us. Let's nevertheless give thought to this minor transition.
First, my routine changes. According to the clock, I am getting out of bed thirty minutes earlier both yesterday and today. I stayed up just as late as I normally do. Therefore, early returns say I lost 30 minutes of sleep last night and gained 30 minutes of sleep the day before. Is this a major change to my routine? Not hardly. But, I have a child who is changing her routine also. Will she be tired? How will see spend that extra half hour of morning?
Second, there is an emotional response. It's one thing to have a child wake up early. It's another to have her interrupt your meeting when she should still be a sleep. "Please! Leave me alone and go have breakfast!"
Third, there is reflection and planning. What should I do differently next time? I suppose I needed to provide consequences when I asked her not to interrupt my 7:45 am talk. "If you don't bother me, jelly beans!"
Daylight Savings Time is not the most major issue we face. Covid-19 related changes are impactful. Death of a family member or a career change or someone moving in or out of the house are more major transitions for most of us. Nonetheless, they all are transitions assuming change in routine, emotion, and reflection/planning.
