What does bedtime look like at your house? Do you have meaningful bedtimes sharing special moments, prayers, snuggles or a book? Are you grumpy, rushing your kids to bed while you are anxiously awaiting for some peace and quiet?
If you find yourself wishing for meaningful bedtimes but fit more into the “hurry up and go to bed” camp, don’t feel bad. Parenting is a hard job. At times I’d rather just send my kids to bed, rather than take the extra time to tuck them in, snuggle and give hugs and kisses.
One of my parenting goals is to set a good example of saying prayers, reading a bedtime story, and sharing gratitude over things that have happened throughout the day.
In reality, I usually find myself exhausted, grumpy and feeling guilty as soon as I slink into my chair or bed after making the quick rounds for a kiss goodnight!
Not every day is Facebook or Pinterest worthy and usually moms carry the guilt for those rough times. I have reminded myself before that at least I make the effort to go to each kid’s room and do a quick bedtime routine, even if it’s not perfect.
What I’d really like is to get rid of the tough bedtimes and replace with joyful, meaningful bedtimes that we all look forward to!
I have been loving Breaking Busy: How to Find Peace and Purpose in a World of Crazy
This book hits home with me because Alli is a mom to 5 boys. Yes 5. She’s extremely real. She understands busy schedules, the time necessary to meaningfully snuggle up 5 kids and she’s honest about struggles and successes.
In chapter 2, Alli describes the bedtime routine at her home as snuggle time. Snuggle time isn’t complicated! It’s sharing a song on her iPhone, reading a short book, talking about the day, and sharing 3 things her boys are grateful for. She admits it’s tiring but shares that this meaningful bedtime has been an investment with huge returns for the entire famiworryThis really inspired me to retrain my attitude about bedtime!
My March mini-challenge is to embrace creating a routine of meaningful bedtimes in our home. I’m looking forward to a deeper relationship with my kids and less chaos and stress at night.
My plan to make this work has 3 steps.
First, I am planning on adjusting our evening routines to start preparing for bedtime earlier so there isn’t as much rush to get in bed. (My kids have an 8 P.M. bedtime.).
Second, I’m going to start with the youngest child and work up in age. This way the older kids won’t be as tired if one child takes a little longer than expected.
Finally, I’m going to be tracking each day with my monthly tracker in my bullet journal. This really helps me stay accountable to my goals!
Do you struggle with meaningful bedtimes? What habit or mini-challenge are you working on in March?
I needed this post… I’m so very happy to see when a mama bullet journals 🙂 <3
Thanks! 🙂