Here’s How to Avoid the Bedtime Battle with Your Children

Posted on Aug 11, 2020 Topic : Men's Christian Living, Women's Christian Living
Posted by : Brock Eastman

My wife and I have four children, so every night we make sure four kids brush their teeth, four kids say their prayers, get a story, are hugged, kissed, and four kids tucked in. And there are all sorts of things that pop up to distract us from getting this accomplished. Whether a child isn't in a listening mood, we can't find a blankie or special stuffed animal (penguin), a sibling won't share time in front of the mirror to brush teeth, or someone is convinced mommy and daddy didn't pray with them (though mommy and daddy are sure they did.)

Regardless of what it might be, I'm sure you, as a parent or grandparent has at some point had a not so great "getting to bed" incident. And whether you have one child or seven or more, you care for each of them, and you love them dearly. And perhaps you have that occasional night when you're just done. Done, done, done. On these nights, I feel especially guilty, it's not their fault my day was extra busy, or a work call didn't go the way I wanted. But I'm ready for some relaxing time with my wife, to rest or talk or play a game. It doesn't mean I love my children any less, it just means daddy needs a night of mental recuperation.

Now I know even with a bedtime routine things will go awry, that's life, and we're human as are our kids. But setting priorities for bedtime, creating an easy to follow plan for your kids can really help. It can set a cadence to your night, everyone knows what happens next, and when everyone knows, fewer surprises occur for you and your kids.

So we sat down and put some of the key moments of our ‘bedtime path’ into a little story, easy to follow, quick to read, but fun for your kids as they begin to learn what to expect at bedtime. It’s called Bedtime on Noah’s Ark. Because what kid doesn’t want to pretend they're an animal at some point?

Enjoy this short video that inspired the book. Yes, I indeed started getting my kids to brush their teeth, by having them mimic animals in order for me to get the hard to reach spots and make sure we had good teeth cleaning coverage and no cavities. Now, this is a quick example video, and we would suggest spending more time on the brushing, then the video shows. Most of all we hope you enjoy Bedtime on Noah’s Ark.

And we ask you to share your bedtime path videos with us, by posting to Instagram and tagging #bedtimeonnoahsark and me @author_BrockEastman. You can also connect with me at:

Web: BrockEastman.com

Instagram:instagram.com/author_brockeastman/

Twitter: @bdeastman

Facebook:facebook.com/eastmanbrock/: