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Bedtime Experiment

The girls cry when I say 'bedtime'. It's automatic. Even for all possible synonyms and euphanisms.

Happy kids.  +  "Bedtime"  =  Wailing kids.

After months of trying a bazillion strategies I finally landed on a possible solution: removing sleep from the equation.

A few nights ago I was emotionally exhausted to the point where I knew that all of my children needed to go far, far away from me for everyone's health and well-being. But it was a half hour before bedtime. And the light outside was going to be full, glorious summer sunshine for another two hours.

So, I rushed through their bedtime routine but said, "And now you get to STAY AWAKE and play with toys and read books in your beds! Oh boy! What fun!"

They trotted off to their beds, smiley-faced, and I never heard from them again. It was so bright outside that I left their light off but their curtain open and that was enough light to play by so I guess as it got dark outside they just curled under their blankets and dozed off? Because that's how I found them around 10pm when I'd had a solid 4 hours without kids and felt ready to emerge from my cave.

Next night: same thing...same result! Hallelujah!

Third night: kids stayed up super late and had to be up early the next morning so I insisted on sleep. Stupid, stupid me. Wailing, resisting. They were up an extra hour beyond what they would've been if I'd just kept my mouth shut.

Fourth night: repeat of the super early bedtime but with the "you can stay up and play in your bed" message and off they went happy as can be.

I may have stumbled upon our summer salvation. Because I am loving having the evening hours with the older two, Seth and Gus. Gus and I have begun going on walks in the evening. Lots of good conversation. Seth and I are going out to log his driving hours before he gets his license. Again, lots of good conversation amid driving lessons. Theo is in the midst of a work project so he's working all hours of the day (the bane of the Work From Home employee is that they are constantly working when home.) But I feel that I can safely leave the house if the kids are tucked in for the night.

Putting all three littles to bed so that I can solely focus on each older boy feels like a luxury. And exactly what our family needs this summer.
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