Children that do not get enough sleep for one reason or another tend to be tenser, irritable, depressed, show low results at school and act in irresponsible ways such as driving when the only thing they want is to crawl under a warm blanket. If you really love your kid and want the best for him, do not believe him when he says that he is sleeping enough, with excuses like “I’m just going through a phase” explaining why he is getting lower grades than his classmates. A child needs to get at least eight hours of sleep every day, including during the weekend, in order to function properly.