The Bedtime Hack That Cuts the Nightly Struggle in Half
The 8:47 PM standoff. The endless requests for water, one more hug, and the inevitable “I’m not tired” declaration. Sound familiar? If you’re a parent, you’ve lived through this nightly ritual more times than you care to count. What starts as a simple transition to sleep becomes an epic battle of wills that leaves everyone exhausted and frustrated. For years, our family’s bedtime routine was a source of daily stress. Despite our best efforts to create consistent rituals, enforce reasonable bedtimes, and maintain firm boundaries, we found ourselves locked in nightly struggles that seemed to escalate rather than diminish. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that 25% of children experience bedtime difficulties, with parents spending an average of 44 minutes per night managing bedtime resistance. ...