Tonight I had a Serious Conversation with the girls.

We have a problem that has gotten out of hand. After I put them in bed, they call for me repeatedly (like 8-10 times) for various reasons – A isn’t being quiet, they need to pee, they are cold, they want to be covered, they want different animals in their bed, they want no animals in their bed, etc. The requests are neverending. Bedtime is now taking upwards of 90 minutes, from the time I put them down first, to the time it’s actually quiet up there.

Tonight I explained to them that when it’s time for bed, it’s time to quiet down. Time to get in bed, maybe talk quietly for a little while, sing a song, but then think about going to sleep. No more calling Mommy. No more fussing, no more crying, no more asking for things. No more crackers, no more baba, no more complaining. Otherwise, Mommy gets upset. Usually, she hasn’t had dinner yet, and she’s tired, and she needs M & A to be helpful. Also, they need their sleep – otherwise they will be tired for school.

Did it work? Not really. Tonight maybe there were only 6 calls to come upstairs, so that’s marginal improvement. But they still went to bed late. Hopefully, if I keep repeating the message, it will sink in eventually.

Probably time to jettison the afternoon nap.