Shouldn’t I be allowed to read and write in bed as long as I want at night?

One of the recurring arguments in our house is about the fact that my parents like me to finish reading and writing at a certain time at night: I disagree. They expect me to turn off my light after about half an hour, usually in the middle of a chapter I am reading or piece of writing I am working on; I find this unreasonable.
One of the main points of their argument is that if it is a school night it will be difficult to get me up in the morning if I read and write for long hours; however, I find that it is always difficult for them to get me up in the week, simply because I do not want to wake up for school. As they know, at the weekend, I set my alarm clock for 6 o’clock in the morning and read and write for hours on end, no matter how late I stayed up until the night before. It is not, therefore, the time I go to bed at night that makes me difficult to wake, it is what I have to get up for that makes the difference.
My parents insist also, that if I read and write for as long as I like at night, I will not be able to concentrate and learn at school. Clearly, this is rather muddled thinking, the reason I do not concentrate completely during some subjects is because I am sometimes not interested in them. After all, no one can be equally interested in everything. Isn’t it more important to focus on the subjects, like reading and writing, I love and in which I have most ability?
Although they know I adore reading, my parents believe that staying up at night to read and write will also make me grumpy and unsociable with those around me at school, but, I know that during the short break and lunchtime we have, I usually sit on benches to quietly read and I hardly ever get chance to be grouchy and impatient with any of my fellow school friends. As a result, this argument is hardly relevant.
Finally, my mother and father say that sleep helps you stay healthy in mind and body and that I will be able to read and write better in the day if I have sleep. Yet I am always sensible; I know when it is too late for me to read or write any further, so I will always have a reasonable amount of sleep and will be perfectly capable to read and write later on in the day.
In summation, great writers write when they are inspired, not when it suits other people. So, as I hope to become a great writer myself, I wish to write and read when I feel a spark of inspiration, instead of obeying my parents’ orders to read and write in conventional hours.
By Matilda
Age 10