How to Turn Bedtime Bedlam Into a Blessing -for You and Your Children
Most children don’t like bedtime—and they find all kinds of ways to avoid going there. It’s an enemy of fun and freedom.
Once, while driving late into the night, our oldest, Danae, wanted to stay awake so badly that she held her eyes open with her fingers.
I remember my children:
taking way too long brushing their teeth
getting out of bed to ask random questions unnecessary questions
needing another drink of water
calling out that they weren’t tired
sneaking out of bed to play
When our kids were young, it was hard to get them to settle down and get ready for bed, until we—with pure motives—tricked them.
We turned reading books, something many kids dislike, into motivation to get in bed and stay there long enough for them to calm down, relax, and transition to sleep. Reading books became my children’s bedtime ally. It not only became a peaceful way to get them to bed, it also developed a lifelong habit of enjoying reading.
Here’s how it worked. When we put the kids down for bed, we told them they could stay up a half hour later if they were in bed on time, with teeth brushed and last drinks of water, etc., all finished. I can’t begin to tell you how much stress this took out of our nighttime routine. Even our youngest participated—though he often had his book upside down! Aside from helping with getting ready for bed, the privilege of being able to read also meant they had to stay in bed afterwards or they might not have the privilege the next night.
Following are a couple of benefits from what we did:
Each of our kids grew to love reading
It gave our kids the power of choice
You’re helping them develop great lifetime habits
It teaches them how to quiet themselves in order to fall asleep
It teaches them to obey you when you ask them to do something
You too can turn reading, something your kids don’t really want to do, but is good for them, into something they want to do.
by Brenda Jacobson
