Why Bedtime is Bondtime

Below is a piece I often use as a writing sample when applying to writing jobs, particularly ones that specialize in families or children. One of the things I really like about this piece is that it is something I really believe.  So, tonight before you tuck in the little ones, keep this in mind...

It’s been a long day.  You’ve been home alone with two small children who have been pulling and poking at you and each other since the sun came up.  You’ve done laundry and dishes and vacuumed and you’ve done it all at least three times. Dinner has been served and put away, baths are done and you have just sat down for the first time since waking.  But wait, the kids are still awake and there is still plenty to do.  

How tempting it is to hurry them off to bed so that you can get some much needed “you time.”  The sooner they are tucked in and asleep, the sooner “your time” begins; the sooner the pulling and poking ends. As you enter the bedroom, ready for the bedtime Daytona 500 and ritualistic requests for water, bathroom visits and hugs, your youngest pulls out a short pile of books to read. You exhale just a little.  “OK,” you say, “but just one.”  They both hop into bed and you begin the story.  As you turn pages, the little giggles begin, the children cuddle up next to you. For a few moments all is right with the world.  The arguments and tantrums of the day are gone, you are not thinking about the dishes in the sink or the lunches that still need to be packed.  It’s just you and them. The house around you may be in shambles as tomorrows laundry piles up and your “you time” fades away.  As you finish the story, one of the children reaches up and hugs you. 

Something inside you is refreshed and renewed. Inside you know tomorrow night will probably go differently.  Tomorrow night they may kick and scream and make you crazy.  You also know soon enough they will move out and be on their own.  They will be out in the world looking for stability and comfort.  But tonight, for now, they are safe.  And down the road, when they are gone and you have all the “you time” you want, they will still feel safe and loved because you took this time for them.