Do You Come From A ‘Sleep Supportive’ Family? Or Not So Much?
And are you sleep supportive of your own kids?
Growing up, my mom was always supportive of us sleeping in on the weekend — her thought was that growing teens need more sleep (and that’s a fact) and snoozing until noon was healthy, not lazy. In the summer, we often slept in every single day.
But when I slept over at my best friend’s house, I was shocked to discover that everyone in the family was required to be at breakfast even on the weekends — a rule that seemed to be tied to the family’s belief in a very regular schedule and a tough work ethic.
It turns out there’s a name for this: my family was a sleep supportive family and my best friend’s family was not. Over on TikTok, creator and comic Dana Joy Seigelstein wanted to know who grew up with sleep support — and who didn’t.
“Do you come from a sleep supportive family or a non-sleep supportive family,” she asks at the beginning of the video.
She shared that she came from a home where sleep is encouraged, but other people aren’t so lucky.
“If I sleep until noon, I’ll text my mom and she’ll be like, ‘Sounds like you really needed it,’” she said. “But I know for a fact that there are families out there that would be like, ‘Get your f*cking a** up and work.’ Or if you sleep until like 10 AM on a Saturday, it would be like a big problemo.”
The video quickly gained almost a million likes and 20,000 chimed in with their own family’s rules and regulations about sleeping in.
Those who grew up with non-sleep supportive families did not, for the most part, enjoy their upbringing.
“I had a non sleep supportive family,” one person shared. “Napping still makes me anxious and I live alone.”
“‘Oooooo look who’s finally up,’” one person wrote, quoting their parents. “‘Good morning or should I say good afternoon?’ — I didn’t know anyone could have a sleep supportive family. That’s cool.”
“A nap was literally a crime in my house,” another shared.
“I got woken up and told to go do something,” someone added.
“Sleep implied Very Lazy,” another wrote.
“Vacuum is turned on at 8 AM do I need to say more,” another commenter said.
“Narcissists don’t let their children sleep,” wrote another. “In the morning it’s slamming cupboards and at night it’s blaring the TV.”
And those who grew up with sleep supportive families basically only had glowing reviews.
“My mom thinks a nap is the solution to everything (it is),” one shared.
“It’s one of the only things I can give my kids for FREE. Let them rest,” wrote one mom.
“My mom said, ‘If you’re tired, sleep. If you’re hungry, eat,’” another shared.
“Forever grateful to come from a sleep supportive family,” another added.
Many of the commenters shared that they come from a non sleep supportive family — but they’re raising their children differently. And that’s great to hear — because science supports letting growing kids sleep, knowing how to rest when you’re tired is important for your health, and also naps are amazing.
