Tonight as we were playing cards with my in laws we were discussing the kids bedtime routine with me. I want to share what I do with each of my children before they go to bed and see if I'm way too nice or a big push over or just being a good Mom.
For Stella: I give her a hug and a kiss, and then she wants me to bounce her unto her bed, then I say prayer, she says her prayer and then she'll want a drink. After I shut the door, she says, good night, I say good night, then she'll say sleep tight, I'll say sleep tight, and then she'll say I love you so much, and I reply I love you so much. And that's it. I don't here another peep out of her the rest of the night. Unless of course, she sings herself to sleep.
For Gibson: Tuck him in, I say prayers, he says his prayers. I give his a kiss, hug, whisper and a tickle and then I have to tickle him with two hands. After that he'll want a drink and chap stick. After I shut the door, he say Good night Mama, I'll say good night. He'll say I love you Mama, and I'll say I love you too. And that's it, he's out for the rest of the night.
Here are my reasons for doing this with them each night. It's something special that's between us, I feel that a routine calms them down and gets them ready for bed, and I love to hear them pray and they make me feel wanted and loved.
They don't do this with Dad. It's something that I do with them. My question to you is, what do you do for your kids bed time routines? Am I the only Mom who does this?
I've been blessed with kids who have never given me a hard time going to sleep. I think that our routine has something to do with this.
I really want to hear what you have to say. Can you relate, or are you totally opposite?
11 comments:
For Olivia, we give her a sippy of water to carry to bed with her. Then she gets 2 stories, a kiss, an I love you, and we turn on the Primary songs for her to fall asleep too. Then it's lights out.
For Luke, I kept him a baby for as long as he would let me with bedtime routine, but that is long gone in the past. Now he jumps in bed and Ryan reads a chapter of a book to him.
I guess as a precursor to this, we always have Family Scripture Study, then Family Prayers. We then have the kids say their personal prayers right after family prayers, because we found out it was easier for us to remember than after we sent them up to their bedrooms.
So there you go, I don't see that you're too soft with your routine. It's a great time to spend with the kids right? Now if you had 10 kids, you'd have to start bedtime at 5:00 PM :)
We put Aaron down around 6:30-ish with a song, prayer, and a pacifier--and we don't hear from him again until morning. For the older kids, we put them to bed around 7:30 with a Primary song, prayers, and I usually read a story or chapter...but they frequently get up again and we spend an hour or so enforcing bedtime. Its getting frustrating...but bedtime is still one of my favorite times of day.
I think you're doing awesome. I once heard that the first 5 minutes in the morning and the last 5 minutes at night are the most important times of the day. You are sending them to bed with the spirit and knowing that they are loved and that their needs are being taken care of! I think that is a great gift -you're doing awesome! I use to lay by Larisa until she fell asleep and that could be a long time! It wasn't a great parenting technique, but it was something I wanted to do - so I did it! Tiana is a sleep queen! She has always loved sleep - she would even bang on her crib to get IN when she was little. She will wait until I come in to give her a hug, kiss and an I love you! She makes me promise to come in when she is asleep and give her a kiss if I am gone at bed time! We do prayers as family first. They are old enough to say their prayers on their own!(weep, weep) Just love them all you want - they grow too fast!! Your doing great!
I think what you're doing is awesome. And, in my opinion (since you *did* ask!), if the routine (AKA memory-making, bonding time) is working for you, why would you change??? Advice from others, no matter how well meaning, is just that... advice. No one knows your kiddos better than YOU.
Blessings!
I read this with a big smile. I remember doing things like this with my mom. If I had children, I would want to do the same. :)
We have family prayer and scripture study in the hall on the floor outside of all three kids rooms. The the Hubby and I go in and say individual prayers with each kiddo (11 year old, not so much anymore). I then stop in and kiss each kid, tell them I love them, turn on a night light and shut their doors. The RedDog gets an extra snuggle (he's the only one who still will) and his closet shut "so no monsters will come out".
Bedtime routine is sacred in our house. And they all sleep like champs.
I say keep it up!
Since I work most nights, our bedtime routine consists of a quick hug and kiss, then they read in bed for 30 minutes and then daddy tucks them in and says prayers. I still rock Corban to sleep in between shifts which can take up to an hour, I swear it.
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I love your bedtime rituals and I'm happy that other moms feel the same way I do. I feel it's a special one on one time with my kids to tuck them in. My 6 yr old likes secret time, we tell a secret to each other after we say his prayer.
Hey, I think that's great!!! They have some time to wind down and bond with Mommy but they know it's over when the last part of the routine is done. It's structure. :) My dad used to sing to us before we went to bed every night.
Did someone suggest that you might be doing too much!? I surely hope not because I think your routines sound lovely. Short and sweet! I wish I could have such an efficient bedtime routine with my two boys!
I too think you're doing great! We have to have those "special" moments with our kids, especially when they're young.
Our boys share a room, so it's a bit easier, but when it's time to go to sleep . . . I lean over and give them a kiss good night and then stroke their nose and say, "nighty night peanut". It's something that they enjoy doing to my nose too. :o)
They're only young once . . . this is when we plant the seed(s), of what they'll do with their kids later on!
Keep doin' what you're doing!
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