When kids just will not listen...
By katsmeow1213
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
United States
June 23, 2008 7:30pm CST
All in all, my kids are good kids. They do what they're told for the most part. They have impecible manners. They're smart, love school, love to read.
Here comes the but...
They're very young, very hyper, and very loud! I know this is a kid thing, but it gets to a point where I need them to calm down and be quiet! Especially at bedtime. They go to bed at different intervals due to their ages. The toddler is in bed first, between 7 and 8. The twins who are 5 go to bed at 8, the 11 year old goes to bed at 9, and the baby goes to bed when he falls asleep, lol.
From about dinner time on I'd like the kids to begin calming down and getting ready for sleep, but of course this never happens. They remain so wound up for hours after I've sent them to bed. There are nights I am still telling the twins to go to sleep at 10pm. They end up running around, going to another child's room, talking, playing, jumping on their bed!
Come 8pm I'm in desperate need of a break, so this behavior just constantly elevates the situation until I feel like a screaming banshee who's head is spinning, hair standing on end, and fire shooting from my eyes.
Bedtime of course isn't our only problem. It just seems like when it comes to calming down and being quiet, that is where they stop listening. They say okay mom, I did my chores and got good grades, but I'm drawing the line here!
They get plenty of outdoor, wild free time, and I make sure they do calm, quiet activities indoors such as reading or drawing, but this doesn't seem to help.
Any ideas?
2 responses
@keasling (723)
• United States
24 Jun 08
When you find something please tell me. Mine are the same in where overall they are really good kids but they don't want to do what they are told. We ask them to clean their rooms, their bathroom etc. etc. and they just don't want to listen. It is like it goes in one ear and out the other. I have a 12 year old, 8 and 7 year old, and they are all the same. I wish you the best of the luck.
@aninspiration (346)
• United States
24 Jun 08
perhaps after putting the toddler down for bed try having the older one read a story to the 5 yr olds or have a small activity they could do quietly together when the other two go to bed have the older one do an activity or watch a favorite movie till bed time if he wants to be rody tell him hell have to go to bed early also Many times when I want my grandaughter to settle down i find the best way to do it is sit down and do something with her
@katsmeow1213 (28716)
• United States
24 Jun 08
aninspiration- I do try to get them to do things like read or something. We don't allow TV very often, and that wouldn't help anyways either. If they went to bed any earlier, they'd get up earlier in the morning. As it is one of my boys wakes up at about 6am everyday.
And like I said, it's not just the bedtime area either, there are lots of things they don't listen to.
@ketybhagat (4123)
• India
5 Aug 08
What you have written shows a very happy normal family and with so many kids around, Im sure you must be having a hard time, but then when there are siblings, one tends to go to the others room, fool around etc. What I would suggest is let the 5 year olds go to their room and play some video games. Belive me, you will find that they are glued to it and very quietly playing it. Give them half an hour to play and then get them to settle down if they want to play again the next day. The 11 year old can sit and tell them some stories or read to them for half an hour with the promise to continue the next night. I know this is putting burden on the 11 year old who is still a child also. Yours seems like a happy normal house. Enjoy it whilst you can, for children grow up so fast.
