Tuesday, August 18, 2009

{Bed} Times, They Are A-Changin'

Bed time at the Fraijo house has always been . . . laid back.

It started when Sierra was born. We took the "no schedule" approach.

And we've definitely stuck with it.

You see, when I was growing up, bedtime was a STRICT matter.

Up until high school I was in bed by 8, and that was that.

It was so strict, that I wound up having some sleep issues.

Of course, as a parent, I now completely understand

why my mom was so adamant about an early bed time.

Besides the fact that kids need a lot of sleep,

she needed some time to herself in the evenings. Simple as that.

But, a long time ago I made a vow that bedtime, and schedules in general,

would not be strictly enforced in this house.

The problem is, Sierra is {just about} seven years old,

and Makenna is four. They need a schedule. A routine, if-you-will.

And so do I.

I'm going a little crazy having children running around until 10:30 or 11:00 at night!

I'm ready for bed by then, which results in almost no down-time with Jeremy.

And we need that.

Even our homeschool days were flexible, in the past.

Some days we would start at 8am, some days it was closer to 9.

{A definite change for the upcoming year}.

So, no more complaining. We're just going to do it.

I won't turn into Strict Mom ~ The Enforcer.

But we will have a goal of getting all children,

{well, Kam is a bit young for a routine},

into bed by 9pm.

Who knows, maybe we can work toward an earlier goal in the future.

Anyone else facing bedtime issues?

Having a hard time getting the kiddos adjusted to a school-friendly routine?

Or, are you a scheduling pro?

I'd love to hear about it!

post signature

8 comments :

Kelli said...

I'm no pro, but I am pretty strict with bedtime. Now if we have something planned out I don't rush home to be in bed at an exact time. But for the most part my kids are in bed at 8 during the school year and it was 9 during the summer. On Fridays I'm a little more laxed. I just know for my kids they are much better when they go to bed at the scheduled time. But I say do what works best for your family!

Foursons said...

Just pick a routine and stick to it. If you're wishy washy about it, the kids will know and will take total advantage of it.

Rhonda said...

I am totally a semi-strict bedtime routine. During the school year up until this year bedtime was at 7:00. Cameron is one who needs a little more sleep. You can really tell when he is not getting enough.

The first half of K he would fall asleep on the way home from school, so I knew it was important to get on a good schedule for him.

This year we will try 7:30 now that he is a 3rd grader. Caden doesn't need as much sleep. We will see how this will work out!

I say semi-strict because I am more relaxed in the summer. It is almost never later than 9:00 PM though!

I do think it is important to connect with your hubby at the end of the day. So getting your kids in bed at least an hour before you go is so worth it! :o)

Good luck!

Rachel Sue said...

I'm not a scheduling pro, we are pretty laid back in general. But we have always stuck to an early bedtime. Laugh, if you will, but all of my children are generally in bed around 7. The summer we are more relaxed about it. But once school starts and it is dark, it isn't too hard to get everyone down by then.
And the glorious thing about that? I get alone time with my husband and usually a little alone time with myself! I LOVE IT!

He & Me + 3 said...

We are having a real hard time getting ready for the school bedtime. This summer has been crazy with a capital C. Starting next week it is back to school bedtime even though school doesn't start until September 8th.

Colleen said...

I am STRICT with bedtimes and naptimes. This summer has been the first time that we have let the kids do certain activities that end up with them getting to bed a little later than usual.

Our schedule is as follows:
Wake up around 6:30
Breakfast right away
Lunch at 11
Naps/Rest time at 11:30
We wake them up at 2 (if they haven't already woken up)
Bedtime by 6:30 or 7 for all the kids.

Everyone benefits from a routine and schedule. They wake up at 6:30 no matter what time they go to bed - so we figured out early on that we might as well let them sleep as long as possible :)

Vivienne @ the V Spot said...

During the school year, bedtime is 9:00. My high-schooler gets a 10:00 bedtime. They are up at 6:30 during the school year and during summer up at 8:00. There is no bedtime during the summer, so they have to deal with the fall-out if they stay up too late and are dragging at 8 a.m.

~~Mel~~ said...

I've always been strict about bedtime...but only because Riley is a kid that needs ALOT of sleep or he just can't function (and well I was a single mommy for a few years and needed that ME time). Since he was born he's been in bed by 8:00 everynight...but that has changed over the summer and will be increased to 8:30 this year (afterall he is 8 years old now and all his friends have later bedtimes). I've also become less strict on the weekends...he's usually up until about 10:00 on Fridays and Saturdays.

Good luck getting into a routine...trust me you and hubby will really enjoy that time you have together after the kiddies are in bed.

LinkWithin

Blog Widget by LinkWithin