Bedtime Rituals

[AlmiraGulch]

If you have bedtime rituals with your kids, or if you did in the past, do you have an idea of when you think that'll end?  Or, if it already did, at about what age?  

 

Whether it's saying bedtime prayers together, or reading a story, or whatever.

 

ETA:  And, if you don't mind sharing what it is/was, that would be great.  Thanks!

 

 

[AlmiraGulch]

Someone?  Anyone?  

[Pronghorn]

Bedtime prayers ended at five, when my child became self-conscious about praying in front of me. Reading out loud at bedtime ended at twelve. (We sometimes read out loud in the afternoon now.) It is my hope that brushing teeth will never end. Sometimes I still kiss stuffed animals, along with my child, but not every night.

[Guest]

Reading aloud ended at 14 with ds1, maybe a bit later with dd2. They were ready for it before I was. Imma read to little ds until his hair turns grey and his eyes are too bad to drive back from my nursing home after dark!

[SKL]

We never had much of a bedtime ritual except from maybe age 2.5 through 5 (?).  Other than that, it's been pee, brush, find your bear/doll, kiss/hug, lights out, door shut.

[AlmiraGulch]

Thanks for the responses so far.  Please keep 'em coming!

 

 

[momto10blessings]

We just say our prayers, say goodnight and go to bed. After chores, brushing teeth and pottying. We read all day so I never felt like I needed to add a story at night. Our bedtime is pretty boring and rushed. We see each other all day so I never felt like it needed to be a big deal.

[AlmiraGulch]

We just say our prayers, say goodnight and go to bed. After chores, brushing teeth and pottying. We read all day so I never felt like I needed to add a story at night. Our bedtime is pretty boring and rushed. We see each other all day so I never felt like it needed to be a big deal.

 

So you say your prayers with the kids?  May I ask their ages?

[AlmiraGulch]

When the girls were around 2-7, I used to lie down with them and sing. By the time they were 6 and 8 I gave that up, and they listened to audio books in bed instead, after I'd tucked them in and said goodnight. They still do listen to an audio book but I don't tuck them in :)

 

Ds was in my bed for a long, long time. Then he was in a bed next to my bed. I'd lie down with him and hold his hand while he went off to sleep.

 

Now he comes into my bed for a chapter of a read aloud. Then he has a cuddle. Then he goes and cleans his teeth and gets a glass of water and gets into bed. Then I go into his room and tuck him in and kiss him goodnight. More hugs ( he's a very huggy kid). Then I wait to turn out the light while he turns his audio book on and say the final goodnight. He listens for 30 min or so, turns it off when he's sleepy.

 

Takes around 90 min, 60 if I rush him! I find he really needs that time with me at the end of the day. I don't mind, I assume he'll grow out of it at some stage.

 

This sounds wonderful!

[momto10blessings]

So you say your prayers with the kids? May I ask their ages?

Yes, we all gather in the hallway to say them. They are 4-14. I pray with the 1 and 2 year olds when I put them to bed since they go to bed earlier.

[ChristineP]

Reading to them since they were babies. Now the ones at home are 15 and 12. A chapter or so a night.

[rmtzc2009]

Kids are 5, 8 & 10. Our bedtime routine is: brush teeth, change & get into bed and prayers. Dh usually prayers with the older boys (since they share I room) I pray with the 5 year old. Most often the kids will add prayers they think of too. We try to do bedtime reading, my boys love it, but I've slacked off lately.

 

ETA: all the kids want to be tucked up. Hugs & kisses.

[Pronghorn]

I forgot that we also put music on for our daughter to fall asleep to. When she was little it was raucous stuff to drive out the bad thoughts. Now it is hearty, wholesome music.

[solascriptura]

Wash up, Bible reading, family prayers, kisses, I love you, and good night.

[umsami]

Brush teeth, wash faces….then...

 

When they were little, I used to trace shapes, letters, and numbers on their back…and they would try and guess what I wrote.   We'd then make a family sandwich, with everybody piling on top of each other (oldest/heaviest on the bottom…with the lightest/youngest on the top.)

 

These days, I just make du'a (say prayers) for them.  Each one gets individual prayers…and can make requests.  Then it's a hug and kiss….and tucking in.  The little one usually likes one or two books read to him.  The other kids like to read in bed before they sleep.

 

 

[Dory]

PJ's, teeth, reading, talk, and then head to bed and I tuck them in. When they were little I used to sing them to sleep after story time and prayers. When they were able to read their first book I would give them option of reading to themselves for 15min and then saying their own prayers or me singing. They all slowly asked less and less for me to sing. When my oldest turned 10 he got the privilege of reading an extra 30 min. I suspect in a couple years he'll be staying up a little later too. Right now they head to their beds at 7:30.

[ScoutTN]

Dh and I take turns reading to them at bedtime, all on Dd's bed usually. He reads more often at bedtime than I do because I read so much during the day. Then we tuck each one in and pray with and for them. Hugs and kisses. Ds is very snuggly and loves to have his back scratched. He listens to quiet music as he goes to sleep.

 

Sometimes Dd wants to stay up and read after Dh is done reading and that is fine.We just tuck her in a bit later. About once a week or so Dh and I each take time to just lie down with our kids at bedtime and listen. Those can be very wonderful conversations! I never know what they will say and somehow just lying there in the dark seems to be a great way for us to talk about all kinds of things.

 

I always go in and check on them before I go to bed too. Dd always kicks her covers off!

 

Sometimes I miss the early years when I could hold them and sing and rock them!

[Dory]

My first ever DP.

[J-rap]

Gosh, my youngest is 19 now, and I can barely remember!  We read a book or chapter and said prayers together for a long time.  We maybe stopped with the book reading (though they would read themselves, in bed) around age 10, but then would come in to say prayers with them until maybe around 14?  After that, we would still come up and kiss them good night and put a cross on their foreheads.  Sometimes, even as mid to older teens, we'd pray with them if something was on their minds, or say the Lord's Prayer with them.

 

 

[Desert Rat]

I used to read aloud every evening before bed until the oldest was 7 or 8. This coincided with evening sports activities for us. Since we're busier in the evening now, we still read aloud just in the mornings. It's a cherished time, one that my high schooler doesn't want to end. 

So, my youngest would have been 5 or so when reading at bedtime ended. I still kiss them goodnight every night though. ;)

[Guest]

Reading all these posts, I see that read-alouds are our prayers :)

 

:iagree: :iagree: :iagree:

 

There isn't a Mr. Ethel or a night shift job or another minor sibling with different tastes in reading material so I get to read to ds until he falls asleep.

 

:D :D :D :D

[AlmiraGulch]

These are very nice! And, you've proven me wrong about something, so I'm chalking it up to another educational day here at WTM.

 

Thanks!

[alisoncooks]

We always do the obvious: brush teeth, potty, get pjs on.

Then I pray with each child individually (unless I'm beat, then I do both together to save time).

Hug & kisses.  They'll usually want to chat a few minutes...while I'm edging toward the door.

I turn on their music (soft classical or lullaby hymns) which plays through 1x and turns off.

That's about it.

[Gil]

When you get sleepy we do any tidying we find that needs doing, brush our teeth, turn out all of the lights not in use and go get in bed. Then Pal leaps up and runs to go pee and make a mess of the bathroom sink because he cant/doesn't want to turn on the light and by the time he gets back in bed Buddy has stolen "the good pillow" and they will bicker until I have to threaten them to go to sleep.

 

Been that way since Pal was 4.

[kewb]

Tucking in my ds ended between 14 and 15.  Although, now at 16 he will humour me and let me tuck him in every once in a while (usually when he is not feeling well).  Instead of me tucking him in he comes to me for a goodnight hug and my telling him that "I will love you forever, like you for always, and as long as I'm living my baby you'll  be." My dd (14) still wants me to tuck her in every night.  Just like it was with ds it is cuddle and talk time.  A quiet time to unload any worries or ask questions that are easier asked in the dark.

I do miss our family read a louds.  Those ended when ds was around 13. 

When they were really little I would read bed time stories with them when they went to bed.

I miss those cuddle and talks with my babies.

[Laura Corin]

I used to sing to my boys at bedtime.  Each decided to end that at somewhere between age 12 and 13.  When they were smaller, I would read to them too, but I can't remember when that ended.

 

L