My three oldest boys share a room. Two of them sleep on bunk beds (8-year-old on top, 9-year-old on bottom), the other (11 year old) sleeps on a captain's bed. The other night I was in the midst of a nightly routine of going in their room in an effort to get them to be quiet and go to sleep. My 11 year old asks me, "Why is it my brothers always go to sleep before me?"
I looked at him with some curiosity and answered, "Because you constantly are getting in trouble and talking with one of your brothers. And, they just happen to fall asleep before you. And, quite honestly, if you are so concerned about going to sleep before your brothers we can just have you go to bed before them."
As I am telling him this I could see the look come over his face that his question just completely backfired on him.
Then I said, "Really, what you could do is turn it into a contest and see who can fall asleep the fastest."
That was a brief moment of genius that worked for that one night. Though, it was one of the quietest nights we have had put the kids to bed without it involving getting home late one night from being out all day.
I looked at him with some curiosity and answered, "Because you constantly are getting in trouble and talking with one of your brothers. And, they just happen to fall asleep before you. And, quite honestly, if you are so concerned about going to sleep before your brothers we can just have you go to bed before them."
As I am telling him this I could see the look come over his face that his question just completely backfired on him.
Then I said, "Really, what you could do is turn it into a contest and see who can fall asleep the fastest."
That was a brief moment of genius that worked for that one night. Though, it was one of the quietest nights we have had put the kids to bed without it involving getting home late one night from being out all day.