Consistent bedtimes for better behavior

What makes a mom merry?  Well, lots of things.  But one important aspect is kids who behave.  And from babies’ earliest days, moms know that proper sleep is key to kids’ moods.  Sleep

It’s relatively easy to ensure that they get the necessary sleep in the baby and toddler years when kids nap easily.  It’s much harder as they get older.  My kids are often dismayed when I say it’s time to go to sleep because there’s more they want to do that day.  And they tell me that other kids at school get to stay up later, don’t have a bedtime, etc.

But I’ve always thought that it was important for them to have a consistent schedule.  In the summer, we push back the bedtime since we have sunlight later in the day and they can sleep later in the mornings – but I still set a time for each of them.

So I read with interest when I saw an article on Yahoo! News yesterday reporting that a new study in the UK shows that kids without a regular bedtime have more behavior issues at home and at school than kids who go to bed at a consistent time.  It also showed that parents can improve behavior by implementing a regular bedtime.

The article validates my mom methodology, so I can point back to it when my kids want to know why I’m so insistent that they to go to sleep.  It seems that the struggle to stick with a consistent bedtime routine is well worth it!

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