2006-08-22 16:28:00 · 15 answers · asked by Anonymous in Pregnancy & Parenting ➔ Parenting
Depends on how old they are. If they are young (baby-preschool) set a schedule/routine. For example at 7pm start. Bath, brush teeth, bedtime story, sleep. Keep up with it and they will learn what they are going to be doing and that it's bedtime. If they are grade school aged have them start getting ready for bed at the same time every night. If you want them in bed at 8 start at 7. Give them time to get ready for bed. In both cases I give plenty of warning. (Okay John 10 minutes until we start getting ready for bed.) Good luck. Oh if they are older I"m sorry can't help you. Havent' gotten that far yet.
2006-08-22 16:33:03 · answer #1 · answered by johnsmom326 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
How old are your children? I think that a lot depends on their ages. I never had any trouble with my three children, but since a very early age I discovered that sticking to the same routine made things a lot easier. I gave them a bath at night, then they got to play in their PJ's. Then, half and hour before their bed time we had what we called "quiet time" which meant that they could only do things that wouldn't get them all worked up. Some examples were reading books, coloring, doing puzzles, etc. No roughhousing was allowed during quiet time. When bedtime came, I went to each of their rooms, cuddled and told them I loved them and the usual sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite...
Now that my children are grown, they tell me that sometimes during quiet time, they sneaked up to play in each others room. At the time I was aware of it, but turned a blind eye because since they were playing behind my back, their play was still quiet.
Another thing that worked for us, was to have different bedtimes as the children were growing up. When our oldest complained about going to bed at the same time as our youngest, she was allowed to stay up an extra half hour. Bedtime changed as they got older based on how willing they were to get up the following morning. If in the morning they were cranky and unhappy, that was a sure sign that they weren't getting enough rest.
2006-08-22 23:56:22 · answer #2 · answered by Celeste A 2 · 2⤊ 0⤋
Besides having a good routine with your children, start preparing them for bed. What I do with my son is about a half hour or so we start his nightime routine. We clean up his blocks together, get him dressed, brush his teeth, and then we sit down quietly with dimmed lights and I read a book or two to him. Then it is time for bed. After being consistent he now knows that when we start cleaning up we are slowing down to go to bed. Hope that helps. Be consistent, strong, but also loving. Good luck!
2006-08-23 00:03:28 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
You have to start a schedule, get them into a routine. With my son I would try my best to have dinner ready at a certain time, then was bathtime and then I would read him a bedtime story that he picked out. After the story was over the lights went off and he would fall asleep.
Good luck to you.
2006-08-22 23:38:29 · answer #4 · answered by ladybug 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
it sounds like to me that u r children r ur parent,u need to stop letting them get away w/this & put u r foot down & make them understand u are the parents & when u say its bedtime then they should go 2 bed,w/out a problem...the problem is u r tletting the kids b,u r parents,b.cuz u need to be the parent & not the kids
2006-08-26 01:44:22 · answer #5 · answered by Wonetta B 2 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Parents aren't firm enough. How old are your 'children'.
It's really quite easy!
If they're little ones, establish a ritual of story-telling and personal hygiene (teethbrushing etc.), quiet time in the dark when they are in bed -- when you tuck them in...that's a special time for kids to bond with their parents. I always knelt by their beds and put 'good dreams under their pillows"...and they loved that.
If they are older (like teenagers)...you've already established some sort of ritual. I hope it was good...and I hope you had one!
Whatever, you need to tell them the bed time. and when it's an hour before, tell them not to get too involved with anything, bcz bed time is in one hour; when it get's 5 minutes before, say, "ok gang...quit whatever you're into...bcz bed time is in 5 minutes." ..
At the bed time hour...(ON the MIINUTE)...lead them to their bedroom.
If they won't go...why?
they are watching TV? turn it off.
they are on the 'puter? turn it off...
they are on their phone? take it off of them! (oh? they don't pay for their own cellphone? SHAME ON YOU...!
....they have friends over?...send them home (an hour before).
It's up to you...not up to them.
Just remember who is SUPPOSED to be in control. and if they say anything to you that's an argument about it---tell them when they pay their own rent or mortgage, you'll let them pick their own bedtime---until then, YOU are paying the rent/mortgage...and YOU are picking the bedtime...and it's NOW!!!
I have friends who's kids have ZERO responsibilities and they have free cellphones, free food, free cars, free insurance, free gasoline, free clothes. What is this teaching them if they never think they have to pay for anything? When parents provide everything and ask DEMAND nothing in return, they are doing their kids 2 TERRIBLE dis-services. 1 they are letting them think life is free. and 2 they are letting them think all they have to do is stay at home and mom &/or dad will pay for everything. My daughter might meet one of those boys and want a BABY by him? want to get MARRIED to him..? OMG! See, no one is preparing kids today for anything in life.
and...
bedtime is for TWO reasons. One, to help the kid rest and get refueled for another day at school; and Two, to give mom & dad some 'downtime'.
TAKE BACK THE NIGHT!!!
You'd better
get in
.. .control...
.... .bcz the older they are
........ .the worse it will be for YOU if you aren't (in control).
2006-08-23 00:29:27 · answer #6 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
you should set a schedule for your children, and get them to follow the routine, they will eventually follow the schedule you gave them. Because kids can't figure out the schedule for themselves, they need to be told what to do, eventually they'll adapt to the routine and they'll just do the things you scheduled them to do on time.
2006-08-22 23:31:33 · answer #7 · answered by superboredom 6 · 0⤊ 0⤋
Share a doobie, well, worked for a freind of mine about 30 years ago with his 5 year old. LOL
2006-08-26 16:54:08 · answer #8 · answered by rc 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
You're the mommy and you should have control over them, not the other way around! Start a routine and stick to it every night.
2006-08-22 23:31:55 · answer #9 · answered by noyb 4 · 0⤊ 1⤋
This is a dumb as$ question. Who is the fu*king parent? U why in the hell do u need someone to tell u how to put your kids to bed? JACKAS$. By the way yes I do have kids, 7 of them.
2006-08-22 23:31:18 · answer #10 · answered by 2good4hem 3 · 0⤊ 4⤋