i am gonna have to give myself a "C" for the bedtime routines at my house for now! i have a list of excuses for the chaos surrounding bedtime at my house, as well as not getting the kids into bed any sooner than 15 minutes past their actual bedtime. "my husband gets off late and i want the kids to see daddy" and "i have an infant" are among my favorites! but i have recently decided that it's time for the chaos to stop, and that an earlier and actually enforced bedtime will be in the best interest of the entire family.
i love the thought of bedtime and the quiet that exists at no other time in my home. i so enjoy the conversation, favorite tv shows, and dessert eating with my husband, ALONE! but often times those things are over promised and under delivered because by the time we get the kids to bed (sometimes an hour and a half past bedtime), we are both so tired that we end up taking it out on each other instead of spending our beloved quiet time together.
the dread of bedtime is because of my own lack of time management and follow through. i have got to change some things in my day that put me behind schedule way before bedtime comes! so, on my to do list is: to skip some daytime moments of "down time" with the bigger picture in mind, to set an earlier bedtime for the kids, and to pay attention to the clock, duh!
while i am looking forward to reaping personal benefits from an earlier, enforced bedtime for my kids, i am anticipating the benefits it will give the kids as well. i know that my children need more rest for their growing bodies and minds. i truly believe that structure affords them greater opportunities to thrive. but mostly, i know that i'm preparing them for living their own adult lives and that i need to set a good example even in the seemingly small details. they are going to need a good point of reference when they're on their own!
hopefully i can update with a progress report that promises a rising grade for the next report card :)
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