While most families are winding down their day by 8 PM, Emily Boazman from Clovis, New Mexico, is just getting into full swing.
In a viral TikTok video, the stay-at-home mom gave a glimpse of life as a self-proclaimed “night owl family,” leaving many viewers astonished.
At 35 years old, Emily shares her household with her husband Jake, 44 (a district attorney), their 9-year-old daughter Crew, 7-year-old daughter Knox, and 3-year-old son Keen. Their evening routine kicks off around 8:45 PM, just after they enjoy a walk together.
Her family has embraced the night culture for years. “I’m the youngest of four girls, and we’ve always been night owls,” Emily revealed to Newsweek. “My parents had a pretty relaxed approach to bedtimes, and I fondly remember pulling all-nighters with my sisters. To this day, my family stays up really late.”
Once Jake returns home from basketball practice around 9 PM, dinner preparations get underway.
At 9:26 PM, the family finally sits down to eat. After dinner, they chat, catch basketball highlights, wrap the girls’ hair, and proceed through the bath and bedtime process, which usually doesn’t finish until nearly midnight.
After tucking the kids in, Emily and Jake take some time for themselves until about 1 AM. Surprisingly, Emily notes that despite these late nights, her kids are thriving during the day.
During the week, the children are homeschooled, allowing them to get up around 10:30 AM.
Mornings at their home are none too chaotic; Emily handles housework, preps lunch, and reads to the kids while Jake heads to court. “They get up well,” she admits. “I might need to nudge them a couple of times, but they’re perfect once they’re up.”
She jokes, “I find it harder to wake up than they do. We usually sleep in until about 9:30 to 10:30, and then just hang out in bed, chatting and snuggling.”
Interestingly, multiple family members also follow a similar pattern, allowing the cousins to socialize in the evenings without worrying about strict bedtimes.
Emily and Jake feel this routine suits their lifestyle and community just fine. “Everyone else around us follows a similar schedule, making late-night plans easier,” she noted. “Most of our church friends also retire late, and our sports activities—like pickleball and volleyball—are often scheduled for the evenings.”
However, after posting this slice of their life on TikTok, Emily told Newsweek she was taken aback by the online response, especially on platforms like Facebook and Instagram.
“I’ve had plenty of viral hits before, and crazy comments come with them, but this was on a whole new level,” she recalled.
She shared stories of DMs she received, with some calling them abusive parents and another suggesting she was narcissistic for keeping her kids awake. One Facebook comment snapped, mentioning a child who dozed off at 11:46 PM, while questioning their routine.
“I’ve never forced bedtimes onto my kids—they can pick their own!” Emily replied to the critics. “But if it’s time to sleep, they need to follow the rules; they can’t stay up later than me or Jake.”
Emily acknowledged their lifestyle might seem unconventional, but she was surprised by how much others reacted. “I understand that some are shocked, but it’s wild that strangers would have strong opinions on another family’s bedtime habits,” she expressed. “It’s just insane.”
