Parents won't shut up about sleep

[Desmond]

For some reason...It's aggravates me greatly when my parents tell me to go to bed.
Like in the summer, when I have no school days at all, and it's 1AM and I'm staying up to do art or writing in my blog, and my mother comes in my room and says with a stern voice: GO to bed. IMMEDIATELY. Why does that always brings out the same reaction out of me, which is anger?

To be honest, I think I function better at night. I get more motivation to do things at night, I write more creatively at night, most of my artwork is done late at night (while sneaking up). The thing is, I'm 16, and I think I'm old enough to decide when I should go to sleep. I know it's probably more healthy for me to get a full 8 hours of sleep, but you know, all of my friends sleep well off in the night and their parents don't care. So why should mine?

And also, my parents are old and Chinese, so there is a cultural barrier here. I explain this to them and they say "It's not natural! No is no!" - What a stupid excuse, that aggravates me even more.

Here's what happened today. I just started school and I am being swamped with homework, but I am actually doing them (with some procrastination, I'll admit) and I'm glad that I'm getting them done. However, my parents don't see that. They just keep harassing me to go to sleep when it's like, 11:30. 11:30, and most of my friends sleep at like 3AM.

Then they say absurd things, like, You should start earlier! It's your fault you started so late! They are right about that, but I start working at 9-10PM, and I think that is early enough. I can't really think straight before that time anyway, and I prefer to do homework after dinner. Nothing wrong with that.

Then, they accuse me of playing computer games. That just pisses me off, because I did absolutely NO gaming today. My dad said he "heard" from my room me playing computer games. So I can't listen to music and do my homework now? And what more, my parents think because I'm on my computer I am not working. They just don't understand that I have to look up words, pictures, and ideas online.

According to studies, most people don't get enough sleep in the weekday, but they make it up in the weekend anyway, so what does it even matter???

I know this is mostly a rant, sorry about that. I just want to know, why do my parents telling me to go to bed piss me off so much? Is it because I feel like they are limiting me, controlling me, restricting my freedom, or any of those typical teenager reasons? Or maybe it's my fault and I shouldn't be mad at them. I also think they don't have their priorities straight. I mean, is it more important that I finish my homework and pass my classes and actually study and not rush through them like they want me to, or that I get enough sleep? =/

What is it that I'm doing that's even wrong? All I'm trying to do is finish my homework, and I feel like they are harassing me over something like the time. I just don't think this conflict is necessary, but who is causing it? Them or me?

This is pretty unorganized, I'll try to clarify my message later. Right now I have to finish my homework. My dad and I negotiated that I'll go to bed at 12:30 (jeez...) and I'm still only halfway done with my homework. (It's the second day of school but...Yeah. Truckloads.)
I guess if I don't finish, I'll have no other choice but to leave them like that, since my parents won't let me stay up. >:/

[Andrew Gubb]

Why does that always brings out the same reaction out of me, which is anger?

Because they're trying to control you. It's not surprising you should be angry.

[Desmond]

And another thing, they probably won't understand my "problem" with procrastination if I told them. They would say YOU LAZY USELESS CHILD or something that the culture they were raised in would cause them to uther. Why is this? Because guess what? Neither of them has an education. They can't sympatize, but they accuse anyway.

[Dogs]

I salute you, my friend. 16 and you're still sane..

Are you in public school, too? Double kudos if yes.

This is how it works, man. While your friends are up til 3AM playing video games or doing whatever (most likely not doing their homework, right, or maybe they get it done at school, or at sometime much less conducive to actual progress, and might treat it with a brushed off approach.. "school.. meh"

Real world is just like video games. The powergamers win, and everyone else wishes they could dedicate as much time and energy to something as the powergamer did..

just find whatever it is you can do that you can do forever, without losing interest, and push it HARD!

when I say HARD, I mean, DO NOT STOP FOR ****!

Also, I assume you're probably learning the same real-world info I did when I went through. Much of it is BS, and a lot of it is BS. School was always a waste of time, IMO, because school wasn't about learning, it was about submitting to authority and not doing anything you shouldn't do..

Totally losing focus of what I was interested in, which was knowledge, and instead I'm greeted by a bunch of people that don't respect me, don't give a damn about their jobs, or anything else but getting off of work and heading to the sports bar for margaritas and gossip.

No wonder the world is so screwed up now..

[Thekla]

That sounds really frustrating. I know that would have been hard for me as a teenager. I was lucky because my mom allowed me a great deal of freedom in choosing my schedule and trusted that I would make good choices about getting enough sleep.

I wonder if rather than having your parents argue with you about particular instances, would there be value in sitting down with them and coming to a joint agreement about when you will go to bed during the school week? Perhaps if they knew when you would go to bed instead of spending the evening wondering, and you knew that they would not come in at any time to scold you, both of you might feel better.

Good luck!

[Talkofthatown919]

i remember having my dad telling me to go to bed when i was younger. I would go into my room and stay up later. But anyhow you have to show your parents that you are not wasting time on your computer. That you are truly getting work done. Talk with them and let them know.

[intj123]

Kids like you have to be intelligently reasoned with, not ordered to do things without question. Your parents do have a point, it is not natural and they are looking out for your overall health, you are still young so your youthful energy might keep you going now, but try that when you get older after a hard days work and you'll see.

Plus you have that teenage defiance thing going on I guess.

[James81]

I can understand why you are frustrated.

Just know that someday, the choice will be yours. They are doing what they feel is the right thing by guiding you in the way they do.

Also know that sometimes they are right, even if you don't understand it. You will someday.

But on the flip side, they are wrong sometimes too.

And it'll make you crazy in your 20's trying to figure out what they were right about and what they are wrong about.

But that's the beauty of life. We get to try so many things and make our own mistakes and verify whether they were right or not.

[Dreamline]

In retrospect, I actually wish I wasn't so reactive to these types of things when I was a teen. I would have had a better life, my parents would have had better lives and my sisters would have had a more peaceful home to grow up in.

You need to pick your battles and when push comes to shove, pick very few battles.

When you are at an age where your brain is telling you that you are your own person, but your parents are telling you how to eat, sleep, dress and behave, like you are still a kid...there is no result except tension. So you know that.

What can you do about it? Compromise, compromise, compromise. That means they give a little, you give a little. The classy answer to any scenario.

Jennifer