I’ve never been very good at bedtime. I have always been a night owl from the time I was little, maybe I’ve passed it on to my son. Whenever anyone asks him what his bedtime is he emphatically responds, “Midnight!” Unfortunately, he’s not far off. When my ex husband and I were married he didn’t get off of work quite often until 10 or 11 o’clock at night. If he was going to spend any time with Logan at all it had to be after he got home from work. Many couples find themselves in this kind of a position. Schedules can get particularly tricky at times and sometimes you just have to do what works for your family. After my ex and I split I went back to school. The only time people were available to watch Logan was during the evenings so that’s when I scheduled my classes. The university was a 40 minute drive from our home and so it put me not getting home from class until 11 those nights. Logan would stay up and wait for me and then we would get ready for bed.
As a single-parent bedtimes can be a little overwhelming. Most kids aren’t thrilled about it, but one thing that can help ease some of the bedtime woes is to make a routine and stick to it. Make the routine something that the kids look forward to every night, this will make them much less likely to fight with you about having to go to bed. It is a time that they can start to wind down and prepare their little bodies for sleep. It is also a great opportunity for you to bond with your child. The routine gives them stability and they know as they are going to sleep that you will be right there when they wake up. Whenever Mommy says, “It’s time to go read stories,” Logan knows to go hop in bed. He is excited for the one on one time and he knows what to expect. He doesn’t fight sleep anymore because he likes the path to get there. He knows that when we are done reading our stories that it is time to go to sleep and for the most part he just does it on his own now. There are times when I feel guilty that Logan isn’t in bed early like the majority of other children, but right now this is what works for us. Find something that meets the needs of your individual family and stick to it!