Posted on 07/08/2022
What are the similarities between fireflies, bonfires, and fireworks? They all, of course, contain the word "fire," but what else? They all take place at night and in the summer, and we all likely have happy childhood memories associated with them. The desire to make good summer memories, however, can instead give parents of young children - whose bedtimes fall when it's still light outside during the summer months - more chances for meltdowns. How do you do the first while avoiding the second? We have some recommendations.
Establish Regular Bedtimes
Kids need a lot of sleep, and they thrive on rituals, especially nighttime routines. Even though the sun is still up, we strongly advise against giving in to the urge to forgo bedtimes altogether throughout the summer. Of course, you might need to refocus a little bit if you've used the justification that "we go to bed with the sunset & rise with the sunrise." You might also include reading materials with a sun theme in your nightly ritual. (You could even include a book about a recent solar eclipse!)
Installing room-darkening window treatments, sometimes known as "blackout curtains," can help children feel drowsy, even while it's still light outside. The ideal sleeping environment is chilly and dark, so turn on the air conditioning or think about adding window units or a ceiling fan in your child's room.
Permit Occasional, Special Exceptions
Your children will start to notice if you make too many exceptions to the rule, and you'll turn bedtime into a free-for-all. Nobody enjoys that, either. You can still stick to your regular bedtime routine, though, most days, if you allow for sporadic, once-in-a-while exceptions to the rule. The most crucial component, though, is that we also mean that you must "plan for" these extraordinary circumstances when we say "allow for." For young children, an unplanned late night can be disastrous.
If you do have the occasional late night family event, then be sure to follow these tips: (1) Limit your afternoon activities that day, (2) intentionally pay more attention to your child and any signs of overtiredness, and (3) leave the next morning's schedule free for your children to adequately recover and get proper sleep.
You can make those enjoyable, long-lasting memories with your child by allowing for extra rest before and after the planned special night and by making sure to prepare so you can genuinely engage with your child throughout it (instead of multitasking).
Have Realistic Expectations
The shocking part is that your strongest childhood memories are probably not from when you were a toddler or a preschooler. Each cherished custom may not have occurred exactly as you recall it every year. There were exceptions, and even so, not every mental vignette is likely to be entirely true. Your child will survive even if he doesn't get to roast marshmallows over a bonfire until he's six, eight, or ten. When you do ultimately decide that he is old enough to stay up late after dark, he'll probably like it then even more.
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