It”s the end of the day. All I want is to have my kids in bed and be hanging out with my husband. I think too often my kids can sense that. I think they can sense that I’m done with them and, quite frankly, don’t want to be around them anymore. That’s when they begin to act up and really press our patience at bedtime. However, I have found that (most of the time) if my husband and/or I take the extra moments to cuddle with both of them right before bed, they are more satisfied and more willing to stay in bed. When I’m trying to speed up the process and just get out of there, the night tends to drag on and end in frustration. To take time to enjoy those sweet moments with them actually ends with more sweet moments with your husband because they don’t keep coming down to interrupt. Plus, you aren’t feeling as exasperated so you enter that together or alone time with a greater peace and a better attitude. If you want teenagers who will cuddle up next to you, you need to be willing to cuddle up next to them when they are young. Before bed is a great time to do that.
