I’ve been watching, listening and taking notes on how Jeff participates with Kai’s bedtime routine. Jeff takes the lead, but Kai always wins...
Step 1: Syringe vitamins into mouth then plead with Kai to brush his teeth in less than 30minutes.
Step 2: Beg Kai to get his pajamas on; race him or physically manhandle him to get them on.
Step 3: Lay down the law with stern Dad voice: “2 short books Kai.” Then come up short in negotiations and commit to reading 2 long books (i.e., greater than 10pages) and a third book requiring a… CD. Make mental note: this kid can barter better than his Mom on a Mexican beach.
Step 4: Scrimp on the long reads by making up a story according to pictures and previous knowledge of story. Make colossal mistakes by skipping too many pages at once, fumbling with story plot, lesson and ending. Then spend time agreeing with Kai when he tells you how the story really goes.
Step 5: Perform a “big boomer” by tossing Kai into his bed thereby riling him up again and then spend another 10minutes reading another book to calm him back down to a sleepy state of arousal. Choose a quick read such as one of Connor’s picture books.
Step 6: Contend with Kai coming out of his room till 10pm for a myriad of reasons. Example: “I need to go poo poo”, “my tummy not feelin’ well, I need something to eat”, “I need fresh water”. Deal with them all in order of appearance since they’re all considered "necessities of life" and therefore can’t be ignored. Momentarily feel proud to deal with growing boy and then start coping with the creative excuses: “I need my socks on”, “I can’t find my blankie”, “I need to give baby a hug”, “I juuuuuussssst wanna watch a moooooovie”.
Step 7: After placing Kai to bed for the 10th time. Surrender to the reality that it’s now your bedtime and you never had a minute to relax and catch up on your sports highlights. Make a mental note to join Kai in bed at 7:30pm tomorrow night.
Step 1: Syringe vitamins into mouth then plead with Kai to brush his teeth in less than 30minutes.
Step 2: Beg Kai to get his pajamas on; race him or physically manhandle him to get them on.
Step 3: Lay down the law with stern Dad voice: “2 short books Kai.” Then come up short in negotiations and commit to reading 2 long books (i.e., greater than 10pages) and a third book requiring a… CD. Make mental note: this kid can barter better than his Mom on a Mexican beach.
Step 4: Scrimp on the long reads by making up a story according to pictures and previous knowledge of story. Make colossal mistakes by skipping too many pages at once, fumbling with story plot, lesson and ending. Then spend time agreeing with Kai when he tells you how the story really goes.
Step 5: Perform a “big boomer” by tossing Kai into his bed thereby riling him up again and then spend another 10minutes reading another book to calm him back down to a sleepy state of arousal. Choose a quick read such as one of Connor’s picture books.
Step 6: Contend with Kai coming out of his room till 10pm for a myriad of reasons. Example: “I need to go poo poo”, “my tummy not feelin’ well, I need something to eat”, “I need fresh water”. Deal with them all in order of appearance since they’re all considered "necessities of life" and therefore can’t be ignored. Momentarily feel proud to deal with growing boy and then start coping with the creative excuses: “I need my socks on”, “I can’t find my blankie”, “I need to give baby a hug”, “I juuuuuussssst wanna watch a moooooovie”.
Step 7: After placing Kai to bed for the 10th time. Surrender to the reality that it’s now your bedtime and you never had a minute to relax and catch up on your sports highlights. Make a mental note to join Kai in bed at 7:30pm tomorrow night.