I am deeply grateful that my children go to bed easily. I truly don't know why. So many parents struggle with this and we just never have. I suspect it's because I'm too exhausted for any nonsense.

Anyway, we have our routine: dinner, cartoon, bedtime. Bedtime is very short. They change into pajamas, brush their teeth, and crawl into bed. I swing by to catch the light for them. No stories; no elaborate rituals. No energy for that.

Sometimes I feel bad that I'm not the cozy bedtime mom. Then I don't. I've already been the cozy mom for 12 hrs before this (see above: exhausted).

I really worried, with the switch to a home education plan, that we'd lose all routine. I worried we'd stay up all night and sleep in all morning. I guess having both parents still working our full time jobs has held our family to a consistent dinner and bedtime and waking schedule. I'm grateful. I looooove 7:00pm. I adore the quiet and peace that descends on the house knowing those three are safely tucked away. I don't care if they actually sleep. I know, in fact, that some of them lay awake playing quietly. That's okay. So long as they are in their room and quiet they can do whatever they want (maybe this is another key to them not fighting bedtime?).

I have no proof but I'm also going to attribute afternoons of playing with puppies as tiring them out enough to be ready for bed. It's a good working theory.