So, I've been falling asleep earlier. Anyone whose been here for any length of time knows that I have struggled with insomnia for a long time.
My kids are generally good about being quiet at night. And going to bed at a reasonable hour. I used to be awake to be witness to this, or to tell them to "Hush" if they started getting noisy.
Things have changed. They've been staying up later, getting more obnoxious (or the fact that I'm not actually able to sleep IF its not quiet has changed things)... So, I have tried several ways to tell them that I don't care WHEN they go to bed, as long as they aren't grouchy the next day AND as long as they are QUIET at "bedtime".
We've started having a struggle with the quiet. The kids, being teenagers, on breaks or weekend especially, have been staying up later and later and later and getting LOUDER to the point that its disrupting my sleep, Abyni's sleep... its just gotten ridiculous.
The other night, in the car with my 15 year old daughter *P* and 17 year old son *K*, *P* was being a SPAZ, and I told her that she'd have to calm her tits once we got home because it was bedtime.
The kids were all, "Well, good luck with that!" and I tried talking to them reasonably about it being an issue of respect... to no avail, so I explained a little what I MEANT by 'mutual respect'.
I said,
"Listen, your father and I are quiet when WE go to bed out of respect for your ears, so you can and had best start showing MUTUAL respect for the quiet that happens at bedtime, or we may not bother to be quiet either."
My 15 year old got it immediately and was all, "EWWWW!!!"
The oldest son, oddly enough, took a bit before he started
"OMG! MOM!!! EWWWWWWW!!! I'm SCARRED!!!! OH MY GOD!"
I just said, "What? I mean when we're watching movies, we're always quiet in OUR ROOM..."
But they didn't believe me. This is a good thing.
Boy, was it quiet in our house that evening. I think I made my point.
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