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By Meredith Ethington

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Humor In the Motherhood Motherhood Parenting

Top 20 Reasons to Put Your Kids to Bed Earlier. Because You Earned It.

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Today was one of those days, where I declared that everyone was going to bed an hour early. You know the days where kids are straight up crazy, and you look like something from the Walking Dead? You know what I’m talking about. And, if not? Tell me, what are you taking?

So, whether you put your kids to bed at 7 pm or 5 pm, my guess is that you probably earned it at some point in the day, to bump up that bedtime, so you can get a little peace and freaking quiet.

Here are my top 20 Reasons you (and I) can justify putting our kids to bed at least an hour earlier than normal.

1. You’re sick of your own voice. Yet, you question if it is actually audible to small children.

2. You’ve given so many empty threats, even you don’t believe them anymore.

3. You “escape” to do something you hate as soon as your husband walks in the door. Like, yard work. Or laundry. Suddenly, that sounds SUPER nice, so you lie and tell your husband it’s super urgent that you sweep the cobwebs from the corners of the front porch.

4. You let your kids play with purple Kinetic sand. And it’s everywhere.

5. You look at your cat and tell her to get a job. Because she’s just staring at you all. the. time.

6. You declare sugar to be of the devil for your children and vow tomorrow they will only eat celery and hummus all day.

7. You’ve already eaten your weight in chocolate by lunch time. Because, you need sugar. Lots of it.

8. At 4 pm, you want to cry when you look at your own bed, and know that you would almost kill to get in it. That very second.

9. You consider boarding school for the three year old as an actual option that must exist somewhere in the world. So you start to google and look it up.

10. You’ve cleaned bodily fluids from somewhere they don’t belong at some point in the day. Your clothing. A wall. In the closet. You get the idea.

11. Your husband is pleading at you with those eyes that scream “help!” and you stare back with your own eyes that say, “You did this.”

12. You’ve stepped on legos at some point in the day.

13. You had to go into a play land at a fast food restaurant that day.

14. You’ve heard so many shrill screams during the day that even when they are quietly watching TV, you’d swear that you can still hear them screaming.

15. All three kids managed to do synchronized fake crying, and you considered starting a choir.

16. The words, “Mom! He’s touching me!” make you spontaneously laugh, and then run into a room, hide in your closet, and rock yourself back and forth to self-soothe.

17. You’re folding your laundry in front of an episode of Paw Patrol long after your kids have moved on to something else.

18. You cringe at the word, “mommy” when you hear it.

19. You consider getting in your car and driving anywhere. Even a sketchy, abandoned parking lot sounds nice. Because…silence.

20. You’ve wiped bums, brushed teeth, helped with homework, cleaned the kitchen up what must be at least 15 times, read stories, and think that you must have used more patience than the Dali Lama that day, and frankly, you just deserve it.

But, the thing is, they’ll be asleep, and you’ll sneak in to cover them with their blanket or turn out the light, or pry the book from their hands, and your heart will suddenly burst and a voice will whisper, “It wasn’t that bad, was it?”

But, don’t feel guilty, mama as you gaze into their deceptively angelic looking faces while they sleep.

You earned it, my friend. Trust me.

***

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20 Comments

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Comments

  1. Janine Huldie says

    February 17, 2015 at 8:00 am

    It is only 10 am here in NY, but you have inspired me for later tonight, as my kids are off all week for February break, we have more snow and I have already exceeded my limit of hearing “Mommy” today. So, I think I may very well deserve an early bedtime for my gang later, too. Thanks 🙂

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      February 17, 2015 at 8:31 am

      Well, I love inspiring moms to put their kids to bed earlier to save their sanity. 🙂

      Reply
  2. Elaine a. says

    February 17, 2015 at 10:43 am

    #13. That’s really all you had to say. 😉 Just kidding. These are great!

    Reply
  3. Whitney says

    February 17, 2015 at 6:19 pm

    I can’t relate to these yet, with a 1 year old, but I can say that I’m totally exhausted by the end of the day!!

    Reply
  4. Lisa @ The Golden Spoons says

    February 17, 2015 at 7:46 pm

    Yes!! My kids are alit older, but I still earn early bedtimes once in a while. Love this!

    Reply
  5. Jessie says

    February 17, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    I have so been there… and am sure I will be there again soon! Love it!

    Reply
  6. Pria says

    February 18, 2015 at 12:28 am

    This was really funny Meredith! I could totally relate as I read each number. I was so guilty, especially on this part “You “escape” to do something you hate as soon as your husband walks in the door. Like, yard work. Or laundry. Suddenly, that sounds SUPER nice, so you lie and tell your husband it’s super urgent that you sweep the cobwebs from the corners of the front porch.” Loved the read. This is such a good summary of my everyday.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      February 21, 2015 at 10:53 am

      Thanks Pria! Isn’t it funny how we are all kind of living the same little life? 🙂

      Reply
  7. Brittany Bullen says

    February 18, 2015 at 12:39 am

    Every time I read one of your posts I think, “Why do I not hang out with this person? She knows my thoughts!” and then I remember, WAIT?! I AM going to hang out with her THIS WEEKEND!! WHAAAT!?!

    I’m so excited. Let’s be friends for real. And also let’s not bring our kids. Let the dads deal with all that business for a bit.

    See you soon!

    Brittany

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      February 19, 2015 at 8:11 am

      Yay! Can’t wait to hang out for two days. It will be so fun!

      Reply
  8. Katie says

    February 21, 2015 at 7:51 pm

    Oh, I can SOO relate! Sometimes I want to wipe the word ‘mom’ from my kids memory! I love motherhood, but I also LOVE my quiet time! thanks for letting me take a sneak peak into your family life and for writing from the heart.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      February 21, 2015 at 9:03 pm

      Good thing we have blogging conferences to help us miss them. 🙂 Thanks for stopping by!

      Reply
  9. Sarah @ Thank You Honey says

    February 26, 2015 at 6:22 am

    Yes! 12 & 19! LOL

    Reply
  10. Jhanis says

    March 2, 2015 at 2:42 am

    My kids are like bats. They grow wide awake when it’s already bedtime! Some days I don’t bother with naps anymore because it makes them super hyper in the evening. 🙁

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      March 2, 2015 at 7:55 am

      I agree. My 3yo is giving up naps, and I’ve just given up trying completely because he goes to bed so much easier at night if I don’t!

      Reply
  11. Chris Carter says

    March 2, 2015 at 9:22 am

    LOVE IT!!! Oh, how many times I have experienced every one of these reasons!!!

    Reply
  12. Tarana says

    March 2, 2015 at 1:56 pm

    I was laughing at all of these, especially point 8! Some days are really so bad, you just want to give up.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      March 3, 2015 at 12:21 pm

      YES! Glad I’m not the only one that feels this way.

      Reply
  13. Andrea B. says

    March 18, 2015 at 7:14 am

    I LOVE this. It’s hilarious. Perfect. And completely true. All of it.

    Reply
    • Meredith says

      March 18, 2015 at 7:31 am

      Thanks Andrea!

      Reply

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Welcome! I’m Meredith.

Mom. Writer. Diet Coke connoisseur. Born and raised Texan. Lover of real talk and laughter with a hint of sarcasm mixed in.

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Meredith Ethington

perfectpending

Mom • Author • Mental Health Therapist In Training
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Night night! 😤 Night night! 😤
If you missed my last post about how raising teens If you missed my last post about how raising teens can wreck you mentally….wellll this is part of the reason why. So lonely! But we are in this together somehow. 😂 Make sure to check out my latest substack and grab a copy of my book —- The Mother Load!
NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid NEW ---> "When there are problems in these big kid years, it’s no longer really acceptable to call a friend and air the annoyances of the situation. At least not the specifics.

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Follow me @perfectpending and better yet buy my book or subscribe to my substack to support me.
"I don’t know about you, but I don’t really wa "I don’t know about you, but I don’t really want same-ness anymore. I want messy. I want admissions that shit is hard and we don’t have it all together. I want to have a makeup free, messy bun in my sweats run in with a mom friend and not feel worried she’s checking out my un-groomed eyebrows.

I don’t want to try to give off this illusion that I’m control of my life any better than the next person. It’s a shitshow for all of us, and we continue to hide it for fear of what? Being human?"

Read the rest on my Substack. Link in profile.
WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I WHAT IF THIS IS THE HAPPIEST I’LL EVER BE AND I MISS IT? What if I miss the best time of my life. What if it’s right this second?
What if it’s right now while I’m in finals week of grad school, and have a kid that’s sick? 
I already miss so much. The gummy smiles of babes without any teeth. The squeaky voices of 2 year olds. The babbling of a baby that’s just trying so hard to say mama. The grammar mistakes my kids make when they’re talking that I don’t have the heart to correct because I love it too much. 

I miss a lot about those younger years that have already slipped away. My youngest is sick, much like in this picture, but he is too big to snuggle in my arms now when he’s running a fever. 

Today I had the thought, what if this is it? What if this IS the happiest I’ll ever be?
For a moment, I lingered in that thought as I stood over my sink and did the dishes. I started to cry.
Am I missing it? AM I? I felt a tug that maybe I was. Maybe I wasn’t relishing enough, and enjoying enough, and being present enough.
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Read the rest in my substack ❤️
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I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of th I’ve got to admit - I’m kind of over all of this. *sweeps arm generally at planet earth*

Look, I’ve never been a half glass full kind of gal. I can ALWAYS find the negative in every situation. 

But, right now it’s easy to say that I’m over it. It being.....

The state of our economy. Social media. People being unemployed. People being racist and homophobic. The debate over politics. People judging people. ALLLLLL of it. 

Everything is crap right now. We joke about it a lot. We have to in order to survive. 

It’s the one millionth day of January but Spring feels so far away. 

I’m over these four damn walls that we call home. 

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But, my guess is you’re reading this right now and realizing you’re over it too. Whatever “it” is in your life.

Some days the world feels like total crap. Everything is a mess. Everything costs too much. For E-V-E-R-Y-B-O-D-Y. 

Yes, even for you Karen. ➡️➡️ to keep reading.
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