New Strategy - BEDTIME WARFARE

I have decided that I will never get Louis into bed at a decent hour.
So I am going a different way.
I refuse to let him go to bed until after 11pm.

He starts begging to go to bed about 10:30, and I say "No, I'm busy, we can't go now." I let that go on for about 10 minutes - and then I say "okay, I guess we can go."

He drops straight off to bed - completely zonks out asleep almost immediately. This works very well vs. fighting with him for two hours when I "want to go to bed early" which never happens.

Here is what happens when I go to bed early.

• I go into the bedroom.
• The kids cry.
• I roll over.
• The kids cry and yell at each other.
• Scott yells at them. They stop for a while.
• More screaming, more crying.
• I roll over, I look at the clock. Consider getting back up.
• I drift off.
• The light comes on, Scott comes in to change them and do the jammie thing - which is expected - it's jammie time.
• I roll over, the lights go off.
• More screaming. More crying.
• I look at the clock, determine not to get up. I will relax, I will sleep.
• The twins come in and are put into their bed.
• Miles starts playing with his aquarium - the music thumps from his bed. The lights illuminate his corner.
• Charlie is hitting the piano at the end of his bed - it says "A. A is for APPLE." Or he kicks on his aquarium, and it plays the same song as Miles, but at a different time. Or a different one if Charlie has messed with it.
• I roll over, ignore them . Drift off.
• Louis comes to bed. Immediately pokes me to bring me up to speed on on what happened on Thomas the Tank Engine Today.
• Louis pokes me, tells me he needs a drink.
• Louis pokes me, tells me he is scared of a whale.
• Louis farts. Announces his fart.
• I look at the clock.
• It's midnight.

Going to bed early is GREAT.