If you’re a parent, chances are you do the nightly bedtime routine tango with your kids. This is when all kids want to do is play, and all parents want to do is sleep! It’s a winning combination. My kids will do anything and everything to stall bedtime! Here are some popular stalling methods in our house. Can you relate?
1. “I forgot to do my homework” They’ve had ALL evening, and you’re pretty sure they’ve completed all their assignments, but suddenly reading for 20 minutes becomes a life or death situation.
2. “My leg/muscle/arm/knee cap hurts” Some time between dinner and bed time, your child managed to engage in some strenuous injury that is making laying in bed physically impossible.
3. “I’m starving” This is the exact time of day they decide they actually want to eat a 5-course meal.
4. “I forgot to brush my teeth!” Suddenly, they turn in to 40-year-olds. Personal hygiene is super important, and what should take two minutes, takes ten … complete with gargling, flossing, making funny faces in the mirror, and going pee about five times.
5. “I feel sick” My tummy hurts, I feel dizzy or I have a headache are all excuses we’ve heard countless time. Sorry kid, that’s all the more reason to lay down…
6. “Tell me a story” My 8-year-old son wants to hear my entire childhood history at 9 o’clock every night.
7. “I forgot to tell you something” This usually entails a minor detail (that they swear is super important) about his shoe coming untied during gym class, or a friend looked at him weird on the playground…
8. “You’re the best mom ever” My kids are really great at showering me with compliments right before bed. They know a flattered mom is a lenient mom! (smart cookies)
9. “I can’t find my favorite stuffed animal” Never mind your child has an entire zoo of stuffed animals in their bedroom. They don’t want just any bear to sleep with. Suddenly they want the stuffed pig that Aunt Louise gave them 4 years ago that they haven’t touched in 3 years… No, the red one.
10. “I’m so uncomfortable” This usually means their bed has somehow become a rock over night, or their most comfy pajamas ever suddenly now feel like sandpaper, or their bedroom has instantly become as hot as the Amazon jungle or as cold as the North Pole. Oh, did you say the North Pole? Let’s talk about Santa Claus…
What are some of the best excuses your child has given to stay up a little longer at bedtime?
