Do any of your kids say to you at night that they want to go to bed? If they do consider yourself lucky. Besides Christmas and when they have a cold my kids usually try a bevy of things to derail bedtime. In my home my daughters give me a laundry list of what seems like demands before they are willing to go to bed. I get it. I was their age and I never wanted the fun to stop. Yet all good things must end.
In the past I would meet their demands so that they would go to bed peacefully. I would read two or three more books, listen to a couple more songs on the radio, or maybe watch a quick video. Sometimes they were able to stay up for an extra hour before going to bed. Now that they are more active and we do a lot of things during the day and I notice there is a bewitching hour that happens at night and both my girls turn into cranky little monsters when they become overtired.
I knew I had to take back the night. So I started to make sure I got them into bed right after their bath. I would make sure my oldest would have gone to the bathroom and she would be all set for the night. I would kiss and hug them, put them in their beds, say good night, turn off the lights, and shut the door. Just like taking off a Band-Aid. Rip it right off!
My wife sometimes travels for work and doesn’t get to put them to bed, so when she is home the process is a bit longer. No scratch that it is A LOT LONGER! Recently our girls figured out that they can get more time out of her and they milk it big time. Here are few of the things they say.
Mommy I need some water.
Mommy can you get me another stuffed animal in my bed?
Can you read another story?
You get the picture. When she finally escapes out of the bedroom we will hear our girls call for my wife in the monitor. Mommy my stuffed animal fell out of bed. Mommy I am still thirsty. To me it was comical since she would go back into their bedroom and attend to their needs. It took maybe a week or so before my wife followed my lead. Now she treats bedtime like a Band-Aid. Do you parents out there ever have this issue?