Bedtime is one of the hardest parts of my day. I’ve been running all day, I’ve just managed a dinner time, I’m tired and just want to be done. The tempation is strong to let the kids play for extra minutes while I have some down time. But then I glance at the clock and realize that “extra minutes” turned in to “extra hour” and the kids should have been in bed already. So I spring into action, I try to hustle them into bed by skipping steps in the routine. This rarely works. I end up with kids getting out of bed because they are hungry, or thirsty, or they want a story, or they need to use the bathroom, or they need an extra hug. I want to be done and they want more time and attention. My stress levels rise because I know that every minute they aren’t asleep yet buys me a crankier tomorrow. In the end a “shortcut” bedtime usually takes almost twice as long as one where I follow a routine. Oh occasionally the shortcuts work, just often enough to keep me hoping that this will be one of those nights. It almost never is.
In the coming new year I need to refocus on bedtimes. I need to remember that giving my kids full attention at bedtime fills a whole host of needs and makes the next day run smoother. I need to remember that no matter how much they protest the end of the day, they really are much happier if I insist and stick to the bedtime routine.
Amen to everything you just said. I have to remind myself of this lesson all the time. And still I sometimes try to just send them to bed and it always backfires on me. I loved this line: “I know that every minute they aren’t asleep yet buys me a crankier tomorrow.” I have yet to convince my husband of this absolute truth, but I believe it wholeheartedly myself.
–Julie