Teenager lashes out after parent accidentally wakes him up an hour early after daylight saving time change: ‘He got upset and told me that I'm just making up excuses’

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Etai Eshet • Editor
Nov 27, 2025 3:00 PM EST

Some mornings, the universe just decides to mess with your routine. Daylight saving time spins the clock, and suddenly the parent is up an hour early, running on gut instinct and sleepy autopilot. Out comes the text, then the gentle knock, and before anyone knows it, the teenager is wide awake way too soon, confusion on his face and a sigh on his lips.

Now look, I have zero experience as a parent because I've never been one, but what I do have is 7 years of experience as a teenager. So I feel qualified to say this parent shouldn't stress over this situation because teenagers can't be taken seriously for the overwhelming majority of the time.

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  • AITA for making excuses to my son

    Mother raising her hands in frustration while arguing with her teenage son at home, with the teen standing in the foreground looking annoyed and distant.
    via Egoitz Bengoetxea

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Back again for low-stakes AITA. Really appreciate the community feedback! In any case, I send my son (14) to school everyday, and we have a system going where since school starts 8:30, and we need to leave the house 8:20, I'll text him 20-25 minutes ahead of time, and I'll go knock on his door and poke my head in to wake him up, if he hasn't replied.
    via Low_Aardvark_2881
  • This was all agreed on and a working system for years now. This morning, I got up an hour earlier (since daylight saving time has reverted to standard time), and just biologically felt like it was the right time, because the daylight outside the window felt right.
    via Low_Aardvark_2881
  • And in the moment I completely forgot the hour being wrong, and texted him at 6:55, and when he didn't respond, I went at 7 to wake him.
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  • Of course, when he woke and asked me why I'm an hour early, I realized what I had done, and so I apologized and left.
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  • Then, an hour later, as I was sending him to school, my son asked me, "why were you an hour early today?
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  • Frustrated teen sitting at a kitchen table while his mother stands beside him gesturing during a tense conversation, showing family conflict and miscommunication at home.
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    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • Daylight saving time changed yesterday you know?" And so I answered something like "hey sorry buddy, I totally messed up.
    via Low_Aardvark_2881
  • I got up earlier due to the time change, and it just 'felt right' and so I went through the motions of our morning routine.
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  • My brain must have not been woken up yet from being groggy in the morning". Then he got upset and told me that I'm just making up excuses.
    via Low_Aardvark_2881
  • That I had 5 minutes between texting and waking him and that it's absurd that after a day of time change, to blame it on brain being groggy.
    via Low_Aardvark_2881
  • And that I should own up to my own mistake instead of making excuses. And also that since I sent the text and woke him at those specific times I must have looked at the clock, and should have noticed the hour.
    via Low_Aardvark_2881
  • Mother raising her hands in frustration while arguing with her teenage son at home, with the teen standing in the foreground looking annoyed and distant.
    via Egoitz Bengoetxea

    Image is representative only and does not depict the actual subjects of the story.

  • I was like, I have taken full responsibility the entire time - I apologized at the time I woke you accidentally, and when you asked me why, the first thing I did was apologize too.
    via Low_Aardvark_2881
  • I know full well it's my mistake entirely, and I claim responsibility. I'm just telling you that it happened probably because my brain hadn't woken up fully, and I just went with what "felt right".
    via Low_Aardvark_2881
  • He then pointed out that I'm still making excuses, and that I should just admit fault.
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  • And I told him I already do fully admit fault! Like, how many times do I have to say this is entirely my mistake?
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  • At this time we've reached his school, and he left without even saying bye (which we always say to each other, unless he's upset with something).
    via Low_Aardvark_2881
  • My question for you is if what I said really sounded like making excuses, and that IATA for it.
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  • I feel like I should be able to both own a mistake and talk about what led up to it.
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  • But maybe the delivery was terrible? (made misc edits for
    via Low_Aardvark_2881

  • It does not take long for apologies to roll out. The parent tries to explain, blames the early sunshine and a brain still warming up for the day. None of it lands. The teenager hears “excuses” and nothing else. He wants a simple oops and maybe decides today is the day for a silent treatment, so the car ride to school is shorter on words and longer on side-eye.

  • It is just another weird glitch in the long line of family mornings. One person tries to explain, the other just wants honesty served plain, no details needed. Both wake up wishing the clocks would play nice and the routines would work like they always do. Chances are, tomorrow they will laugh about it or forget it ever happened.

  • Every family has these little moments where being tired and human feels like a crime. Sometimes it really is just about owning it, shrugging, and hoping next time the sun and the clock agree.

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