Sleep Deprivation

If you take too much on yourself, the wheels might very well fall off.

In Michael Grose’s blog he mentions ten challenges children will face in the coming years.  There were two that caught my attention as being particularly and obviously true, especially for my community of Mt Morgan.  These were sleep deprivation and children being raised in multiple homes. 

Regarding sleep deprivation – I think this is a result of technology.  In his book Remotely Controlled, Dr Aric Sigman says that television and computer screens actually have a physiological effect where they even though the body “feels” rested, the brain is stimulated to a state of being quite awake.  So a peson can “relax” and watch televison until midnight, but be wide awake and unable to sleep.  A number of pointed findings about television and technology are made in his book.  Boredom can be a blessing.

I sometimes wonder if Y2K would have been a good thing.

The other significant issue I see as already being a large problem is children being raised in multiple homes.  Actually, this is better than children being raised by one parent only.  Warren Farrell in his book Father and Child Reunion has something to say about this.  However, untimately if children are raise in one home, with one set of parents and one set of rules, this is the best. 

In Mt Morgan these seem to be issues for just about every family.  Our community here has long struggled with social issues that affect families, and the majority of families are separated. 

Addressing these issues is a matter for our prayers.