Let's face it, most parents look forward to the bedtime hour. It's the time of the day when you get to tuck in your children for a good night of rest and mom and dad get some quiet time alone. Putting the kids to bed isn't always so easy though and I think one reason is because of inconsistent bedtimes.
I feel that is better not to adjust bedtime routines for kids according to the time of year or day of the week. I realize it is impossible to keep to a strict bedtime every day of the year, some times you just have to let the kids stay up late. On occasion when appropriate we let our kids stay up late... like when we have visitors or there is a special program we all are participating in, but outside of special occasions we work very hard to keep to the same bedtime year round. Even in the summer time when the days are long and the sun is still up after 8pm, we still put the kids to bed at the same time. What time you choose is up to you but moving the time around for the seasons or for the weekends (aka non-school nights) I feel just goofs up the routine and creates unnecessary challenges.
Kids thrive best on routine, frankly we all do and a well rested child is usually a happy child, making for a happy mom and dad too.
