Ashley Willis
Every night, my husband, Dave, and I go into our kids’ bedtime routine with high hopes and a plan. But, by the end of it–like, an hour and a half later–we’re usually frustrated, disappointed, and DONE–hands in the air, I’ve got nothing left, kind of done. And, we agree that we pretty much hate bedtime with our kiddos. Can any other parents relate?
Our bedtime routine usually starts with the kids having showers or baths, then brushing their teeth, and one or both of us walking everybody upstairs to tuck them in. This is where things usually get a little hairy.
My husband has always tried to make bedtime an extra special time with our boys, and I LOVE that. When they were younger, he would read them storybooks and even make up adventurous tales. They LOVED it. But, as they’ve gotten older, they would rather watch trampoline or Pokemon videos with Dad instead of hearing stories, which is perfectly fine–if they didn’t disagree on every video or beg to watch more videos.
Then there’s the sneaking in and out of each other’s rooms. The minute we go downstairs, we can hear the footsteps and giggling. In theory, it sounds sweet, right? Shouldn’t I want my kids to have fun spending time together? YES. But, this back-and-forth room frenzy only makes them more excited and less likely to go to sleep at a decent time. And, for these two exhausted parents, we are just fresh out of patience at that time of night.
Parents, does this song and dance sound familiar to any of you?
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