Mostly a vent post but jfc, I am so over this.
My children (4yo and 6yo) are still awake at 9pm despite being absolutely exhausted beyond words. They were so tired at 4pm my 4yo literally lay with his head on the dining table and waited there for 35 minutes for his dinner. At 7pm they were almost falling asleep on the sofa. As soon as they enter their bedroom, they go mental. Silliness, stropping, crying, shouting (waking baby sibling), being dangerous hanging over the side of the bunk bed, leaping around, etc. This has been going on for a couple of weeks and I've kept calm and consistent with them... until tonight when I absolutely lost my shit. I rarely shout at all so it was quite shocking for them, but even that hasn't deterred them (I have since been in to apologise for shouting, but re-iterated that their behaviour was not acceptable). We tried bringing their bedtimes much much earlier which made everything worse. We tried moving their bedtime later (to 9.30/10pm), which "worked" in that they fell asleep quickly, but they were like zombies during the day and were even more of a nightmare than usual to wake up at 7am for school. We've made a really effort to connect with them in the evening 1-1 once the baby is in bed to make sure they feel heard and loved. They do not watch screens during the week. They get ample time outdoors and in active free play each day. They eat a well-balanced, predominantly healthy UPF free homemade diet; they eat sugar but mostly in the form of homemade baked goods like flapjacks and muffins, not endless sweets or chocolate. They take a magnesium supplement. My 6yo's iron/ferritin levels are normal (haven't had 4yo checked as he'd lose his shit at a blood test and it didn't feel worth it). Genuinely, if they simply needed a later bedtime I'd be absolutely fine with that, BUT THEY DON'T.... THEY ARE SHATTERED.
I do not know what more I can do.