Kids are experts at procrastination, and nothing shows this better than when you are trying to get them to go to bed in the evening, or for a nap.
I want a glass of water.
I’m too hot.
I’m too cold.
The dressing gown on the back of the door is scaring me.
I’ve lost my teddy bear.
The curtains are letting in the tinniest chink of light.
There is an alien in my wardrobe / monster under my bed / slug in my slipper *delete as appropriate*
Whatever the excuse, the REAL reason why they are out of bed is because you need to get them into bed as soon as possible, because you’ve got a shed load to do. In my case, it is ALWAYS because I need to get my work done.
I should have done it earlier, but I spent it lying on the floor pretending to be a catepillar, or playing a game of “lets have another cup of tea” in a cafe that would be shut down by the food standards agency in five minutes if it really existed.
Without fail, nightmare occur, drinks become absolutely necessary, and the kids have an urgent need to tell me about the latest friendship crisis if I have promised that I will get that thing done for work by the morning.
They know. They can feel it. And they exploit it. You put the kids to bed at 7.30pm, and you have to get up and down fifty million times in the next hour and a half to put them back in their sodding beds.
You manage to write three words of your important document each time you go down the stairs before they have gone and got. out. of. bed. again.
It isn’t FAIR.
And it means that you are going to have to work until well past midnight when they finally run out of energy at 9.30pm; 2 hours after you put them to bed.
Now you need wine, and we all know how great that work is going to be after one of those now, don’t we?
We hope you liked this Real KiddyChart; share with your friends and sign up for our printables, advice and other charts so you don’t miss the next one.
If you can, pin this one too, so you can spread the message, and make parents feel better everywhere.