To just want someone else to …

[bedtimetired]

Bath / shower my kids

clean their teeth

read to them

put them to bed

please dear god give me a night off from this

Missing a bath won’t hurt
Do teeth
Use an audio book ‘special story’ lots of hugs
Shut door and get downstairs

Cut yourself some slack OP I hope you sit in peace soon

I agree it won’t hurt but they don’t (doesn’t take long anyway tbf)

teeth agreed

but they really do rely on stories from me just wish I wasn’t so shattered

Do a cbeebies bedtime, one night won't hurt.

Skip the bath, do teeth and find the shortest story you own then open the wine

My mum used to mark passages in books she read to us so that she could leave the same bits out each time to make bedtime routines shorter.

She was an evil genius. I suggest you do the same. 😉

Do you have a partner to pass the baton to?

Hugs to you. It can feel relentless

My cousins took full advantage of 'Can cousin ToadRage read me a story tonight?' Thankfully it was just the story, I didn't have to do any of the other things. Take advantage of visiting relatives!

I have a 4 year old grandson who stays with me for a few days 3 or 4 times a year. For me, the bath, teeth, bedtime story routine is a treat... But a knackering one! He particularly likes the 'Just So' stories which are quite long, but that's my fault for introducing them to him.

I quite understand how it would get you down doing it every day. I missed doing it for my own children as I was working split shifts, which is another reason why I enjoy it I think. It does give me a special relationship with him. I'm not the Disney granny as I'm quite strict and I don't have a lot of money or energy to spend on him, but this is OUR time when we can both be calm and quiet and we both love the routine. We do have some rules, which helps. No story until teeth are done and he is lying down in bed, and if he sits up or mucks around I stop until he lies down and pays attention again.