When did you stop tucking your kids in at night?

aliasojo

Just curious really after a discussion between OH and I.

What age did your kids go to bed themselves with no input from you?

Were you happy to encourage them to be more independant or did you want to keep taking them to bed?

If you still take them to bed, do you read or just tuck them in and kiss goodnight?

For those that read to their kids...how old are they?

Does it make a difference if they are boys or girls? Are boys less likely to want tucked in than girls?

There's a bit of a diference of opinion going on in my house right now so I'd be interested in your replies.

mirrorimage0

my boys are aged 5 (six next month) and 8 (9 in novenber) i love still readin to them and gviving them a kiss goodnight, sometimes if its school holidays they go upand put a video on by themselves they go up later and tuck them in for a kiss, my 5 yr old 8 times out of ten loves you laying in his bed for a bedtime snuggle as he calls it, yet on the other hand if i try to kiss them goodbye in the playground then im the uncoolest mum ever lol, just do it for a s long as you and the children want you to do it, they are only kids once and what they love about thier childhood they will remember forever and pass down to thier children

shykins

my son is 11 and whilst he goes up on his own and gets ready for bed i still go up turn his light off and kiss him good night

about once a week or so i also still read to him for a while, he seems to like and to be honest i quite enjoy it (especially as some of the stories are quite good lol)

moo2moo

Mine are 8 and 5 but I still spend 10 minutes with them each night before they go to sleep. We talk about things which are happening in our lives or plan things they'd like to do. I read a chapter of a book to the 5 year old and with the 8 year old. If she wants to read out loud I listen and if shes too tired to read then I read to her. They don't have tvs or radios in their rooms. Just books. I firmly believe that bedrooms are for sleeping in.

I do encourage them to be independent. After dinner at the table they help clear the dishes, play outside for 1/2 an hour and then go for their bath. They wash each others hair. I go up 15 minutes later to turf them out. They dry themselves, turn the bathroom into a disaster zone and put their own PJs on. They come downstairs for cuddles, if daddy is working late then we curl up under a blanket on the sofa and read a book. After that they go up to bed, choose a book and read until I go up 15 minutes later and read to the youngest before turning her light out. Then I read to the eldest and turn her light out.

jacksons_mum

i used to have a bed time story until i was about 13 and i remember it as a really happy time, spending quality time with parents. i think it should be up to the children to decide when they dont want it any more. my son is only 2 so i think ive a few more years of bed time stories left yet!

amandada

My daughter is almost 11 and is a complete bookworm, so reads to herself at night, and has done since the moment she could read independently when she was 5.
My son, however is 6 and still likes his bedtime story, even though he's a good independent reader, so will get his story for as long as he wants it.

BillScarab

I have an 8 year old daughter, We haven't read her a bed time story for about 18 months, she reads to us instead. My son is 6 and we still read him stories but he's recently started reading something to us as well. My daughter can now bath herself and wash her hair but we usually still help her. We still settle them both down and give them a kiss. I'm sure they'll tell us when they want us to stop.

bonniethemadcat

hi

I have a DS 7 and DD 6. DS likes me to go in and have a chat. He uses this time to tell me if he has any problems at school and I try to give him advice or if no problems he asks me questions about the things I like or about when I was a child, this has brought us much closer recently though he steadfastly refuses to let me kiss him goodnight. He doesn't do kisses!

DD will either read to me or if she is tired I will read to her. Thankfully, she still does kisses, so we always have a kiss goodnight.

If they have stayed up a little longer than usual to watch a tv programme, we still take them up to bed to tuck them in but they read a book themselves before going to sleep.

Bonnie

smileypigface

My son is 9 and although he can get himself to bed (leaving a trail of clothes, towels and many other essential items for a bedtime routine that I would never have realised were necessary!!!! ) I usually let him get himself sorted - then supervise the tidying up of the trail of destruction! Then we snuggle in for a chat and a read - sometimes he reads to me, sometimes me to him and sometimes, depending on how tired he is, we take it in turns to read a page each. I'm hoping I can eeek this out for a bit longer yet - he's the youngest of 3 (two older sisters) so I'm making the most of it!! I'm quite sad to think it won't last forever - we have a puppy now, but I'm having trouble getting him interested in Flat Stanley, Captain Underpants and the Dragon Detective Agency ......!!!!!!

Paparika

my 13 year old,son is at that stage where he needs his privacy, but maybe one or two nights a week i knock on his door and give it a moments and then talk through the dorr and then slowly open it (gives him a chance to ......... I don't even want to think of what here) and i'll go sit at the bottom of his bed and we will have a chat about anything funny thats happened that day or what plans we have for the next day.

grade15

i will tell you in 13 years time!!