“What?” cried Granny … an almost bedtime story – Kate Lum

My children have a hard time going to sleep at night unless everything is just right, so this book struck me as funny on a couple of different levels. Patrick is having a sleepover with his granny, his very first ever. He’s excited, but there’s just one little problem. When Granny tells him to get ready for bed, he realizes that he doesn’t have a bed at Granny’s house. When he tells her . . . “What?” cries Granny, and she immediately runs out to her workshop and builds him a bed out of trees she has cut down from … Continue reading

Teaching your Child to Stay in Bed

Being a single parent probably means that you arrive home after a day of work only to find the kids need supper, baths, homework needs to be done, the house needs to be picked up, and the list goes on. Therefore, once you get the children in bed, you want them to stay there. However, many children will go to bed but then find getting up is more fun. I think every parent has dealt with this issue. You get through dinner, bath time, stories have been read, songs have been sung, and a sip of water has been provided. … Continue reading

A Mouse Told His Mother – Bethany Roberts

Easily one of my favorite picture books, “A Mouse Told His Mother” by Bethany Roberts is a tender story of an imaginative mouse who does not want to go to bed, and a supportive mother who will do whatever it takes to get him to. With each getting-ready-for-bed activity, the mouse imagines that he’s on a great adventure, and his mother urges him on from thing to thing, the end goal being a quiet mouse house when she’s done. A mouse told his mother, “I am going on a trip.” “It is bedtime,” said his mother. A mouse told his … Continue reading

Back to School: Is Your Child’s Sleep Pattern on Track?

With all seven of my children home from summer visitation, things are as lively and loud as ever. But the biggest problem I face may be trying to readjust their sleep patterns to coincide with their school schedules. I’ve got two teenagers who are now going to bed well after midnight, and waking after ten a.m. And even my younger ones seem energetic late at night, then wake late in the morning. With all their lazy summer fun, my kids have naturally shifted back into a late sleep phase. School starts in less than a week, and those early morning … Continue reading

Chasing Away Monster Fears

“There’s a monster under my bed,” is a phrase that parents often hear from their young child. But how seriously should parents take this fear. Dr. Richard Sherman, a clinical psychologist in Los Angeles says, “Monster fear is real. This is a very common problem among children between the ages 3 and 6.” Children in this age group have very active imaginations. Along with imaginary friends and play they often create imaginary monsters that seem real to them. Distinguishing between imagination and reality can be difficult. Dr. Sherman advises, “Parents need to take these concerns seriously rather than simply telling … Continue reading

Books to Read Together

Experts say that one of the best things you can do for your kids is to read to them. It increases their own reading ability as well as contributes to many other areas of development. Also, the time spent together is quality time, and who can’t get enough of that? Ever since my kids were teeny tiny, I’ve read to them. It’s one thing my dad did for me and my sister when we were young that I remember best. Maybe it was the consistency, maybe it was his terrific radio-DJ voice, maybe it was the fact that he loved … Continue reading