Lesson 2: Effective Parenting
Establishing A Routine
Establishing a routine for your child is another piece in the framework of safety and security you are building for your child. This gives them a strong sense of stability and order. Having times set for meals, bedtime and homework, lets the child know what is expected of them.
Establishing routines ideally begins in infancy and builds from there. There should always be a certain flexibility in routines. This also helps children cope with changes. Too rigid a routine leads to anxiety if a bedtime or mealtime is late.
Bedtime routines are necessary for your child’s health. Children need huge amounts of sleep. They expend enormous amounts of energy playing and learning new skills. When a child doesn’t get enough sleep, they become cranky and often accident-prone due to fatigue. If you haven’t yet established a bedtime routine, it’s never too late to start.
Explain to your child that they need rest to grow up strong and healthy. Tell them when their new bedtime will be. About an hour before bedtime, give the child a bath, have them brush their teeth and start winding down. This is an excellent time to read them a story and just share some quiet talk and cuddling. The more pleasurable you make this quiet time, the more your child will look forward to it.
Many children, never having had a set bedtime routine, will call out requests for water or more talk. You need to be very, very firm. If the child is very disruptive and leaves their room or starts playing, limits need to be set. You might try telling them "every time I need to ask you to go back to bed and you refuse, you will lose play time tomorrow." Be consistent. It takes about 30 days for a new habit to get established so this will be a trying time for both of you. By being firm, you will soon have a bedtime routine that works.
Exercise: If you don’t have a routine set in your home, plan one, describing how you would go about enforcing it.
