Response to Lois Tilden's "Sleep, My Little One." A response to a short science fiction story about a world that never sleeps - literally - and the probility of such a future.

"Sleep, My Little One" is a science fiction story that has the same general prediction as many speculative and science fiction stories; the degradation of the quality of life. This story, however, focuses on a much overlooked luxury: sleep. In "Sleep, My Little One," Lois Tilden predicts a day when science has found a way to end a need for sleep. Instead of sleeping for eight hours, all that is needed is a thirty minute relaxation exercise. There are two main themes of this story: the over-scheduling of life, and the importance of sleep, especially for a child.

In the story, children do everything from soccer, to basketball, swimming, and every other activity imaginable. The thought of people turning off their children's sleep in order to homework or work harder doesn't take much imagination. In fact, such isn't far from life today, where children might have 5 different sports.

Young Couple Sleeping

sleep

Sleeping above the stars

Many times parents live vicariously through their children, and I wouldn't be too surprised that a parent would stop their child from sleeping so they could "get that A on the report card" or "make first string on the football team." Many times, parents - as well as teachers - think about what a child is capable of achieving, yet they forget that children are children; they need time to have fun, play, and most importantly, sleep.

Also, the thought of people turning off sleep in order to work longer or do homework isn't too outrageous either. Many parents also give each other a kiss as they run past each other in the hallway because one sleeps while the other works. It is a side-effect of women in the workplace; it allows women to work outside the home like many men, but also ruins family and married life...