Nighttime routine that helped our family enjoy calmer bedtimes, better sleep, and more peaceful mornings with easy habits anyone can follow.
As darkness began to set in at the end of each day, we all heaved a sigh of relief because formerly, forcing the children into their beds was a nightmare. Who would have imagined that every single night in our house, each of the children was left with at least more than one thing they wanted to do¿ take one more story, have one more glass of water, or expect to stay up five minutes more before all the lights are off.
The inability to get these wishes granted on some nights was met with exasperation or any other tension from any other member of the family that led to everyone waking up the next day feeling even more drained out physically and emotionally.
No one knew the actual cause of the problem; but one thing was clear: the arrangement had to be modified. No one was willing to introduce a lot of control over the issue by forcing some barbaric time management into the picture. So what was the solution? Create a bedtime setting which is calming and comforting and enjoyable for everyone.
The first measure of action they decided to take was closing out all gadgets one hour before the bedtime. It was a tough call, though, because there were individuals who found satisfaction in watching videos or scrolling through their cellphones. But, to their surprise, there was less talk at the dining because people sat in front of each other and engaged in conversation. With no interference from lights or screens, it was easier to unwind and go to bed.
Furthermore, during this time, the falling asleep hour was set to an almost rigid schedule every night. Irrespective of whether it was a school night or the weekend, a similar time would be taken as the bedtime. Gradually, plenty of lifestyle changes became fortuitous, and many difficulties were no longer associated with sleep on the contrary, it would be much easier to sleep.
To make sure that the environment was conducive for sleep, we also worked on the bedroom situation. The room had to be cool, the lights went off or were dimmed and the room was clean. These and other such simple tactics will help change the mind basically to associate the usual hustle and bustle of the day to rest.
The activity of interest was however story telling. Narrative was not necessarily lengthy or properly articulated and a nice book to read were all that was required to achieve the soothing effect within ten or fifteen minutes of reading time. Instances, when comical stories as shared by their speakers, made everybody to explode with laughter shacked their shoulders in silence also came by.
We adopted a new practice – the tradition of sharing the best moment of the day. Everyone gave a piece of good news that happened to them that day. It could be some minor win such as on-time submission of homework, meeting friends or having a favorite food. Filling one’s mind with positive things helped all of us sleep better.
We also stopped having heavy meals just before sleeping as was previously the case. If any of us was hungry, food was light and easy. Also, drinking enough water during the day meant we were not visiting the washroom often at night cuttjng the time of slumber
What we evaluated however, was how affecting the caregiver’s actions were towards the child. They (kids) are very observant. We also saw how turning chaos into order, too calmness up. On those days when we didn’t try to rush the bedtime routine, the child didn’t try and escape.
We were also made aware of the fact that not all days will be awesome. Sometimes the beauty of the dawn is scarred by pain, disease or extraordinary events that take over the regular living. How To Handle It. Rather than stressing over such scenarios, we simply picked up where we left off come the next day.
This positive pattern was observed after the first weeks. Kissing children goodnight took less than an hour, there were less tire some mornings and overall more positivism existed throughout the day. The most significant change was not better nights but the ability to end every single day in a calm and happy manner with one’s loved ones close.
As the saying goes, every sick bird also has its beak, and one routine meanders to the next. Where conditions are such that the family structure as well as values dictate primary care, families will have to teach their children how to conform full to such norms and practices. Usually minor adjustments eventually lead to maxmum, positive outcome.
We did not enter the night magic transition and then wake up the next day to a drastic change. But it was night and day, when it came to our attitude toward bedtime. The most dreaded part of our day had now turned into one of the greatest bonding experiences for our family. It was noted that, the most effective habit changes have been brought about, in most cases, by maintaining the daily routines persistently.
