If your kids are 6 and 9 (ish), what does your evening look like?

[meringue33]

Think we need a clearer household position on bedtimes etc!

I have a 4yo and 8yo.
Tea is anytime between 4.30 and 5.30
Free time until about 6.15 when 4yo goes in the bath.
6.30 is supper and 3 stories and asleep by 7. I still have to wake her up in the morning.
8yo goes in the bath about 6.30/45, PJs on, supper and free time until 7.30.
At 7.30, it's into bed and we read to him, then he can read alone until 8 when it's lights out.
Weekends are more relaxed and we play it by ear when they go to bed although it may only be an hour later than usual.
My 8yo can go to bed at anytime and still be up at 6am but my 4yo needs her sleep.

God my kids are clearly night owls compared to everyone else's!

During term time 9 year old watches TV until 8. Then teeth, story and bed. Will regularly read to himself until 9.30.

11 year old is the same but 15 mins later. They're generally asleep before the 9 year old!

We all eat together about 6.30/7ish. Kids are always up before us at about 7.15am

Weekends and holidays everything goes back about an hour at least!

I've got 4 kids, 2 around those ages, a teenager and a younger child. All kids go to bed around 8pm, apart from my teenager.

5 and 8 here.

Dinner at 5.30pm. They play for one hour, then have a snack. In bed by 7.30pm, quick story / cuddle, asleep by 8.pm They both go to sleep a bit earlier at weekend, maybe 7.30pm.

6 and 8 year old here. Dinner is about 6-6.30. Usually a little bit of playing time after dinner (inevitably then asking me or DH to battle/wrestle with them which is the last thing we are feeling like after dinner!), upstairs between 7-7.30 on a school night then bath, teeth, read stories to them then normally leave them reading or listening to an audio book. They usually go to sleep somewhere between 8-9. Weekends is later, as are the holidays.

ha ha, this made me laugh! 🤣

@DomesticatedZombie

One endless bowl of cereal followed by a four hour argument about why they don't have to go to bed yet while I slump further and further into my seat until i am basically sofa shaped as I compete with DP to see who can ignore them the hardest.

this, sorry. Jet lag. so true

6 and 8. Dinner at 5pm. In bed by 7pm. The youngest goes straight to sleep, the eldest can read until 8pm if she likes but she’s often asleep before. She wakes at around 7am, the youngest earlier but they read in bed until 7am..

@stickysellotape

6 and 8. Dinner at 5pm. In bed by 7pm. The youngest goes straight to sleep, the eldest can read until 8pm if she likes but she’s often asleep before. She wakes at around 7am, the youngest earlier but they read in bed until 7am..

And this is the same at weekends and during holidays. They like their routine.

6,9 & 10 here. Tea is between 5.30pm - 6pm. Youngest has a bath at 7 then goes to bed, sometimes reads and sometimes watches a film. 9 & 10 year olds come upstairs at 8 shower and then either read or watch a film. Lights out at 9.

5 and 7

5 year old up to bed at 7.30

Teeth brushed, hands and face washed then a story

7 year old stays up till 8 then it's his turn.

Just turned 7yo goes to bed at 6:30/7. He loves bedtime and just gets on with it. Up about ten minutes before to do teeth etc. He wakes between 6 and 7am but when we’ve tried later bedtimes he still wakes that time.

9 year old goes up about 8:30 and he reads or writes for a short while if he’s not too tired. Then he’s up at 6 or 7am with his brother.

I really like my evenings. I don’t mind that they get up early as it’s easier for school. On weekends they get up and play by themselves whilst I become conscious.

One almost 6 and another almost 10.

Dinner is 5:30. They have a bath at around 6:30, and the almost 6 year old goes to bed at 7:30 for stories etc and is usually asleep at around 8:30. Late, I know, but that's just how she rolls. I've tried earlier bedtimes and it makes no difference.

The nearly 10 year old has adhd and would not fall asleep until 10-11 if I didn't give him his melatonin. So he has a dose of that at 7:30, and then in bed by 8, lights out at 8:30 and he is asleep by 9.

They both wake around 6-6:30 which is perfect for a school day but way too early on a weekend (like this morning!)

Mine are 6 and 9. They go up to their rooms at 7.15 - usually read them a story each (DD9 reads to me normally!)
They can then read or listen to music until 8 then it's lights out. Can be a bit later at the weekend.

My two have tea together around 6ish then watch tv. The 4 year old comes upstairs around 6.50-7ish in bed by 7.30. 8 year old comes upstairs around 7.20-7.30ish depending on if she needs to wash her hair in the shower or not. Gets ready for bed - I help her wash her hair some days. if I have time I read with her (either listen to her or read to her a bit) or she reads to herself. Bedtime is 8pm but she’s allowed to read or draw/craft in her room till 8.30 - no screens. 8.30 in bed proper with only night light on. Later at the weekend and in school hols - we don’t have a very rigid bedtime then but usually no later than 9. Most days they are both awake by 6.45. We rarely have to wake them for school/nursery

My 9yo has dinner 5.30-6pm
Bath/shower at 7-7.30
Plays, reads (no screens as they wake her up), supper and in bed by 9
Reads more then lights out at 9.30, she’s often awake until 10 amd beyond
Wakes at 7am
She just doesn’t need much sleep, i realised fairly early on that if I got her down early, she’d be awake at 4, which was painful, so we slowly pushed her bedtime back

7 and 8 year old.

Bath at 6
6.30-7.30. Watch tv whilst we eat.
7.30. Teeth and story.

Then they are allowed to read in bed for a bit and the 7 year old goes to sleep around 8.30 and the 8 year old a bit later.

I have a 6 and 10 year old. Early nights simply don’t work (for them or us to be fair). We’ve always had a late dinner (between 7-7:30pm) with the kids then afterwards they play for a bit then we start bedtime around 8:20pm. Stories and songs then saying our good nights at 9pm. It does seem late for the littlest but that’s what works for her. She’s then awake naturally around 7:15-7:30am.

Some of these bedtimes seem very early! What are they like if there’s a party going on and they’re kept up late, or you go out for dinner?

thewindwhispers I think you are being played.. 2.5hrs to get into bed is exhausting!
Our kids have to get up at 6.30am to catch their bus at 7.15. Both do lots of sport so the 8yo is more than ready for lights out at 8pm. The bed routine is 15 mins.. upstairs, brush teeth, go to the loo and put PJs on. Into bed and light out. That's it. It used to involve a daily bath but I don't think they need it at that age and it's a big time sink.
The 11yo is harder work and has lights out at 9pm.

@BigSandyBalls2015

Some of these bedtimes seem very early! What are they like if there’s a party going on and they’re kept up late, or you go out for dinner?

We go out for dinner at their usual dinner time and they don’t get invited to late parties!

And we wouldn’t have it any other way as it means we have all evening to ourselves.

One 8yo. In the evening after homework is done he uses his Switch. Bedtime is 8pm.