A good night's sleep

"Are you tired at school?"

"Yes."

"What should we do about that? Do you need to go to bed earlier?"

"Yes."

"What time would you like to go to bed? Bedtime is usually 8. What about 7:30?"

"Yes, 7:30."

So we moved bedtime to 7:30. And the boys both go right to sleep.

And they usually still sleep until 7 when the radio turns on. But then we had a morning when they were up around 6. We sent them back to bed, but they played in their room rather than go back to sleep. Wil had another rough day at school.

"Did you get up too early this morning?"

"Yes. I was too tired at school."

"What can we do to help you get enough sleep? Would you like a clock like at Grandma's?"

"Uh huh. I can read the numbers."

So we put a digital clock in their room. They aren't supposed to get out of bed until they see a 7. That's the rule at Grandma and Grandpa's house. It seems to be working.

And that extra half hour of kid-free time in the evening? Precious.