Once upon a time there was a little girl named Zhenya. She considered herself quite grown up because she already went to school — to first grade. Which meant she could, like adults, go to bed very late.
Evening is the most interesting time: homework is done, nothing prevents you from diving into the world of games, watching cartoons, drawing — in general, doing all sorts of different things. Zhenya couldn't understand why, when the most intriguing moment came in the game, her mother made her go to bed. It was so unfair!
Zhenya, it's already late — nine o'clock. You need to brush your teeth and go to bed. You have school tomorrow, — her mother reminded her insistently.
Oh Mom, I'm not sleepy at all. The most interesting part is just starting! — the girl exclaimed indignantly. — And why do people sleep anyway? I don't want to and I'll do just fine without sleep.
Zhenya, how can you not understand, — her mother insisted, — at night your growing body not only rests, but also gains strength and energy. This is necessary so you can spend the next day cheerfully and happily. Because you're not getting enough sleep, you'll have poor grades in school, you'll remember less important and useful information. Or you might even let your friends down when they need you!
Oh Mom! I get plenty of sleep and I know a lot! — Zhenya insisted stubbornly. — Winter break is coming soon, I'll catch up on sleep then!
And so it repeated every evening. Mom tried to convince her daughter to get into bed, but the girl refused and dragged out the time. She went to bed and fell asleep late.
Time flew by. The New Year holidays passed, winter ended. Spring was taking over outside.
Zhenya, as before, argued with her mother in the evenings, who made her go to bed on time.
One day at school they decided to hold sports competitions in which Zhenya's class and children from other schools would participate.
Zhenya, you have competitions at school tomorrow. I'm reminding you — you're participating in the relay race, — her mother said to the girl, — so you need to go to bed early today and get a good night's sleep. So tomorrow you'll have the strength not just to run, but to win!
Mom, I always have plenty of strength, you'll see, I'll come in first, — her daughter boasted.
The girl didn't go to bed early. She needed to finish watching an interesting cartoon, then finish drawing a picture. And she was also waiting for a new issue of her favorite magazine, which she absolutely had to read that evening. The girl fell asleep only near midnight.
In the morning, when the alarm rang, Zhenya didn't really want to get up, her eyes kept closing on their own, and she kept drifting back to sleep again and again.
Mom had already opened the curtains, and the room became brighter.
Zhenya had no choice but to get up and go to the bathroom to wash. The girl had no strength to get dressed, she only dreamed of lying down again in her soft warm bed and falling asleep.
At school everyone was bustling about. Even the teacher, whom the children always saw in a dress, was wearing a sports outfit. She planned to go to the stands to support the class during the competition. Four schools were participating in the relay races, and everyone wanted to win.
The physical education teacher Ekaterina Alekseevna gathered the participants in the competition, among whom was Zhenya, and gave advice on how to properly complete the tasks at the stadium.
Zhenya, is everything okay with you? — Ekaterina Alekseevna asked, seeing the sour expression on the sleep-deprived girl's face. — You look so sad.
Everything's fine! — Zhenya answered reluctantly. — I'm just nervous.
And so the games began: children pulled a rope, jumped in sacks, and then came the relay race with a hoop.
Zhenya's team was in second place. The kids needed to win the last race to win overall.
The girl had no strength left, she was very tired. In the decisive relay race, she was supposed to run around a cone with a flag in her hand, come back and pass the flag to the next player.
When the flag ended up in Zhenya's hand, she couldn't take a single step — she collapsed from exhaustion.
The girl was picked up and taken to the medical office. The nurse examined her carefully and called her mother.
Your daughter is completely healthy, but she is severely exhausted, — the nurse said, — she needs to get a good night's sleep, and she'll be energetic again.
Zhenya's teacher was also in the office, and she was very worried about the girl's health. She looked reproachfully at her mother.
Why don't you put your child to bed on time, especially before such important events? — Ekaterina Alekseevna asked sternly.
Forgive me, — Zhenya said quietly, — Mom is not to blame, it's because of me that our team lost today. I didn't want to go to bed yesterday, even though Mom insisted.
Zhenya understood that her mother wasn't just trying to convince her to go to bed on time every evening for no reason. Today she had let down her classmates.
If she doesn't go to bed at the right time, soon there will be bad grades in her report card, because her body won't have the strength for studying.
