The Orchard Blog

Kathryn - that was a great article!! Bedtime is a huge struggle for us like it is many.
Being a single parent it’s so hard to be home for him to be in bed at the same time each night (and me - I’m usually lucky to be in bed by midnight and back up by 6ish). I’m “bad” because I do let him stay up really late on the weekends so he can catch up on things and sleep in the next day. I’m going to try to work this into our already hectic schedule but I’m afraid that summer will throw some additional curves our way.

Misty, God bless you. I can’t imagine how hard you must work as a single mom. So don’t be too hard on yourseslf and remember the words of Jesus “Come to me all who are weary, and work to exhaustion and I will give you rest” Matthew 11:28 (New Amer Standard version).
As far as routines go, we started them very early with our kids(5, 3 1/2, 2) with a bottle, a book, and a prayer. It took us a little while to experiment with different things and work out a good one. We still have our share of battles and sometimes have to modify what we do. On hard or late nights, its pajamas, brush teeth, and a simple prayer of thanks and asking for help for tomorrow. I don’t know your son’s age but the fact that you are there for him is a huge measure of security for him I’m sure. I sincerely hope you will be able to find rest for both of you soon.

Misty,
I am a mom of two boys. I have had them both on routines since day 1. It causes less fights at night, because they know what to expect. Kids just dont need boundaries they want them. What is also important is having those couple of hours to ourselves at night. We all need that. Good luck to you and try the routine. It will make a huge difference.