Many parents letting their kids stay up late to watch Oranje vs Tunisia World Cup match
The Netherlands is playing against Tunisia in the FIFA World Cup at 1:00 a.m. on Friday, Dutch time - way past bedtime for almost all children. But many parents will let their kids stay up, or wake them up, to watch the match, EenVandaag found in a survey of over 1,000 parents of minor children living at home.
After the resounding 5-1 victory over Sweden, Oranje can cautiously look forward to the next round. But the match against Tunisia will also determine whether the Netherlands will face Morocco or Brazil in that round.
18 percent of parents of 7- to 12-year-olds will let their primary school-age kid watch tonight’s match. The same goes for 56 percent of parents whose kids are between 13 and 16.
“At this age, he experiences the World Cup very intensely; I don’t want to take that away from him. He might remember this match for a long time, but he won’t remember the one tired day afterwards,” the parent of a primary school-aged child said.
Parents of secondary school children are even more relaxed about letting their kids stay up or waking them up. Many point out that tests and exams are over, and it’s almost summer vacation. Some also said their kid would wake up no matter what they said. “He plays football himself and is a big fan. He also does his best at school, so I don’t begrudge him this match,” one parent said.
EenVandaag found that children’s enthusiasm has a stimulating effect on viewing behavior. Many Oranje fans who don’t have school-age children are skipping the match, mostly because it is too late.
62 percent of Oranje fans won’t be watching tonight, mostly because of the time, but also because of the heatwave. “With this heat, I am not going to sit awake during the coolest of the 24 hours; I have to grab every hour of sleep I can get to be able to perform even a little bit the next day.”
Of workers and students who do intend to stay up, most intend to continue about their Friday as usual. 85 percent said they’d go to work and study like any other day. Only 7 percent have taken the day off because of the match. And only a tiny proportion intend to call in sick: 1 percent told EenVandaag that they are “feeling a cold coming on.”
Kids who do get to stay up late may wind up in front of the television more past their bedtimes than their parents intend. Meteorologists are predicting thunderstorms near the site of the World Cup match between the Netherlands and Tunisia. The inclement weather could cause a delayed kick-off or an extended break midgame due to strict rules about lightning.
