Getting four kids to bed should be an Olympic event but for some reason the IOC has failed to see the skills, dedication and determination needed to pull off such a feat. They ignore the challenges, the hurdles and maneuvering and my favorite, the negotiations.  Every night, my kids, ages 10, 7, 5 and just under 2, seem to always have excuse as to why they are not sleepy…and the games begin.

1.“But my eyes are not tired.”

Yes, we hear this all the time. Obviously, one can’t sleep if their eyes are not tired. But we also get, “my feet want to walk” and “my mouth wants to talk” and of course, “my tummy still wants food.” Sorry kiddo, you can sleep with your eyes open, there’s no walking after 8pm and the kitchen is closed.

2.“But I went to sleep last night.”

Funny how they can’t seem to remember what they did all day but luck will have it that they have the ability to remember what they did the night before. Nice try but you have to sleep every day—it’s not a one and done.

3.“Are you going to sleep too?”

I guess it’s safety in numbers, but my kids love to pull the “I’ll go to sleep if you go to sleep at the same time” card. Of course, the answer is yes but we hope they believe us as we are definitely not going to bed at 8pm.

4.“I tried every position.”

This one includes a show and tell. My kids will show us every position that they tried to fall asleep in as an attempt to convince us that their bodies just don’t want to sleep. We had no idea that there were actually so many possible positions. Last night, we were shown 17.

5.“I miss you. Can I be with you?”

This one is my favorite. They try to use love as a weapon. Really, they are looking for an opportunity to play, watch TV or just about anything except sleep. Hugs and kisses can get you so far, but when it’s time to go to bed, it’s time to go to bed.

Like I said, if getting kids to sleep was an Olympic event, I think my husband and I would get gold medals every night. Until then, we just might build an app that can help us work on our time…it would be great to shave off 5 minutes of the going to bed race. 

Flickr / Photo by Bill Kasman.