Updated: Aug. 20, 2023
Originally Published: April 4, 2023
Today was one of those days; I firmly decided that my kids would be tucked in at least an hour earlier than usual. You know the kind of days when your children seem to be bouncing off the walls, and you feel like a zombie? If you haven’t experienced it, please share your secrets!
Whether your kids’ bedtime is 7 p.m. or 5 p.m., I bet you’ve earned the right to adjust their sleeping schedule for a little peace and quiet. Here are my top 20 reasons for sending the little ones to bed earlier.
- You’ve had enough of your own voice, yet you wonder if it registers with your children at all.
- You’ve made so many empty threats that even you don’t buy into them anymore.
- You use your husband’s arrival as an opportunity to escape to chores you dislike—like yard work or laundry—claiming an urgent need to tidy up.
- You allowed your kids to play with that messy purple Kinetic sand, and now it’s everywhere.
- You find yourself looking at your cat and wishing she’d contribute somehow since she just lounges around all day.
- You declare that sugar is the enemy for your kids and pledge that tomorrow will be a day of only celery and hummus.
- By lunchtime, you’ve consumed enough chocolate to fill a small truck. Because you need sugar—lots of it.
- At 4 p.m., the sight of your bed brings you to tears, and you’d do almost anything to get in it right then.
- You contemplate the idea of sending your 3-year-old to boarding school and begin to search online for options.
- At some point during the day, you’ve had to clean up bodily fluids from unexpected places—be it your clothes or even a wall.
- Your partner gives you those pleading eyes that scream, “I need help!” while you silently communicate back, “You caused this.”
- You’ve stepped on more than your fair share of Legos.
- You had the joy of entering a fast-food Playland today.
- The sheer number of shrill screams you’ve encountered makes you believe you can still hear them, even when it’s quiet.
- All your kids synchronized their fake crying, and you briefly considered starting a family choir.
- The phrase, “Mom! He’s touching me!” makes you chuckle, then rush to a closet to hide and rock back and forth for comfort.
- You find yourself folding laundry in front of an episode of Paw Patrol long after your kids have moved on to other activities.
- The sound of “mommy” makes you cringe.
- You contemplate getting in your car and driving anywhere—even a deserted parking lot—just for the silence.
- After wiping bottoms, brushing teeth, tackling homework, cleaning the kitchen what feels like 15 times, and reading bedtime stories, you’ve exercised more patience than a saint, and frankly, you deserve a break.
But once they are finally asleep, you’ll sneak in to cover them up or turn off the light, and your heart will swell as you think, “Was it really that bad?” Don’t feel guilty, mom, as you gaze at their innocent faces while they sleep. You’ve truly earned that moment of quiet.
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