First, some blog keeping. I think it’s pretty clear by now that if I say I’m going to post about something specific, that’s probably going to turn out to be a lie. I could offer an explanation every time, but let me just offer a blanket explanation for all of NaBloPoMo – headache, in bed, typing on the iPad, no boner for thousands of words on frustrating tiny keys – and you just assume that when you see a promised topic, it’s a lie, and apply my apologies and excuses in advance.
Second, if you haven’t ever read a Settle This post, commenting is fraught with danger, as it’s very easy to end up on the wrong side of my temper in one of three ways: not choosing me as the winner, making up your own third option when only two are offered, or in any other way attempting to be clever and manipulating the scenario the suit your own cleverness. “How dare you become annoyed at my generous comment,” you think. “After all, it was so clever!”
Come on. Don’t be that guy.
So here we go. Settle this.
Scenario: It’s the weekend, but one of you has to be somewhere in the morning. The other is awake with the kid. The sleeper tells the awaker, “I have to leave at 8. Please get me up at 7:15.” This conversation occurs sometime around 6am.
The sleeper never really goes all the way back to sleep, but instead just lays around in bed for a while. Eventually, the awaker comes in to get the sleeper up and out of bed.
“Thanks,” says the sleeper. But then, the sleeper notices something. “Hey, it’s only 7. You’re 15 minutes early.”
“Well, I wanted to make sure you were up in time.”
“That’s why I asked you to get me up at 7:15 – so I’d be up in time.”
“I was giving you a buffer.”
“I gave MYSELF a buffer when I said 7:15.”
“Yeah, but I gave you 15 extra minutes to wake up.”
“I’m an ADULT, not a teenager waking up for high school. I know when I need to get up.”
“I WAS GIVING A BUFFER.”
“YOU WERE STEALING SLEEP.”
The question: When a person asks their spouse/partner/person who is awake in the house to provide wake up service, is it the duty of the awaker to provide a buffer time for the sleeper, or are they duty-bound, in fact, to stick strictly to the agreed upon time, even if they believe the sleeper has not allowed enough time for awakening and ejecting from the house?
Since, if you think about it, the awaker is doing the sleeper a favor, are they free to perform the favor with whatever kinda of tweaks and modifications they deem fit and necessary? Or should they just refuse to do such favors in the future if they don’t think they’re up to the task of performing them to the letter?
So, settle it, Internet. When an adult awaker is trusted with rousing the also adult sleeper at a specified time, is it right and correct for the awaker to stick to the agreed upon time, no matter any personal feelings or judgement, or may the awaker do what he or she redeems best, for whatever reason?