The Bedtime Routine

Not really a routine. More like a hope and a prayer.

If you haven’t noticed, I write about bedtime a lot here.

I am sure one day I will write about teenage angst- but for now - it’s bedtime.

In fact, my entire day evolves around bedtime.

From the moment she wakes up, it’s all a goal to land at the end of the rainbow: bedtime at a reasonable time.

I’m sure as she gets older this will be less of an issue but from about 5pm onwards until about 9pm, we have one task: get her fed and into bed. It’s a struggle.

I have no idea why it takes so long as we run a pretty tight ship with timing and we shoot for 7:30pm bedtime, but the problem is that she doesn’t stay in bed. She’s a night owl and gets her most creative ideas at night - but instead of getting into bed and staying there she gets up, draws, and colors and sings.

This assumes the getting to bed happens. We thought we had it easy tonight because she went to school in her PJ’s so we thought how easy could this be? Toss her in bed after dinner and done!

Ha.

It took us an hour of five more more minutes before we managed to get her upstairs in the general vicinity of her bedroom.

I’m the problem. I am the fun parent at bedtime. And she’s good with BW if I’m not here - but if I am - I am the chosen one.

I finally finished what I was doing on my computer and of course she’s hovering in the other room waiting to be put to bed properly. She will not go to bed no matter how much begging and pleading from BW.

She just needs a few minutes of silliness and then she’ll go to bed. She does not respond to instructions. She responds to suggestions and questions and tricks Dad has up his sleeve. I am the bedtime master.

Take tonight - she was five more minute-ing me to death and so I finally told her that I will just lay there with her and hold her and I’m not leaving until she is asleep.

She’s fighting it. She’s had a bit of a second wind after dinner, but that offer is even expiring. Those eyelids are getting pretty heavy.

She’s trying not to go to sleep. The blinking is getting faster and faster.

And just as she was down with the last blink she opened her eyes one last time and told me:

Go Away.

Gladly. I’ve been waiting for this moment for hours now.

Sleep Tight,

TH and Co.