It’s Bedtime!
“Mom? Dad? Are you really robots?” my son sincerely asked one night. He seemed genuinely worried that this might be a real possibility. Though it’s great when kids engage with us by asking questions, sometimes even those questions with obvious answers have you feeling like you’re stepping into a drawn-out conversation. Moreover, it was bedtime in the Dunford house. Surely you can understand our reluctance to get drawn into a deep discussion about the fear of robots taking over the world, right?
Sleep is a delightful necessity.
Bedtime is simultaneously the best and worst time of the day for many parents. It’s nice to have time to complete much needed tasks or just relax. Who doesn’t like a break? Kids need a lot of sleep, and when they get the amount of sleep their bodies need, they are typically so much more pleasant and obedient the next day! Getting them to bed on time is a win for everyone.
However, if you’ve ever parented a young child, you’re familiar with the struggle of actually getting them to bed and asleep! Sometimes it feels like a tug-of-war that involves pleading, crying, refilling water, retrieving special stuffed animals, singing, blankies, nightlights, and more! It’s as if these small children transform into brilliant bedtime lawyers knowing exactly how to stall or play on our heartstrings to prolong the bedtime process. My nephew, now 19-years-old, still remembers when he was young, picking the exact questions that he knew his parents couldn’t resist answering when it was his bedtime for the sole purpose of prolonging that going-to-sleep routine.
Bedtime is not a punishment.
Bedtime is not a new concept, but each night, when I announced the impending bedtime, my kids acted as if I’d thought up a brand new torture method for them! What is it about rest and recharging that is so difficult and unpleasant? Maybe all interruptions to our day are distasteful in the eyes of kids. Maybe they just don’t want to miss out on whatever potentially fun things happen when they sleep.
Many of us older individuals would love more time in dreamland! Though sleep becomes more desirable as kids get older, making the change from day/awake/doing something to stop/rest/still can be challenging no matter the age. It helps to have short, pleasant bedtime routines to help the kids’ bodies know it’s time for a switch. Dim the lights. Make it as quiet as possible, or play relaxing music. Read a few pages of a book. All these techniques signal to our bodies that we will shortly enter the sleep phase.
Plan ahead.
Look at the clock, and calculate where the kids will be doing when bedtime arrives. Ask yourself– will this movie or book or activity be at a good stopping place by bedtime? Will you be home from any outings? Planning will make things much smoother. It also helped if I gave my kids a small indication that bedtime was coming up. It went over much better if I said, “Bedtime is in 5 minutes,” rather than springing it on them.
We would love it if you would share. Do you have any tips or tricks for bedtime? We hope your bedtime experiences with your children are filled with much less despair and much more delight as you continue on your parenting journey!
