What average age to children take themselves to bed?

[totaleclipse]

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oo I LOVE putting mine (7 & 8) to bed & they really get the hump if we try to rush the routine for any reason. They don't expect it from babysitters but in that case they're willing to accept even prayers-and-a-song while they sit on the loo rather than go without!

My 9yr old dd1 goes up and runs the bath and when she calls that she's ready, dd2 who's 7 goes up to join her. They clean their teeth and then have a jolly old splash about in the bath. It's often quite hard to persuade dd2 to get out. Afterwards they PJ themselves and get into bed and call me up to read them a story. Oh, almost forgot, they also throw 2 hotties over the landing to dh to microwave for them. He comes up to say goodnight and then we finish our chapter. After that I give them a time that they can read in bed until and then it's lights out (which they do themselves). Personally, I love reading to them last thing at night and hope it continues for some time yet.

DS 6.5 can put himself to bed now and can also assist DD 3.5, but I find that if I don't pop in to kiss them goodnight they won't settle. Also am a bit of a control freak when it comes to cleaning their teeth so would rather do it myself

Dd does and has for a while now, she's almost six. We have stories and cuddles on the sofa after she's done her teeth and got her jammies on, and then she takes herself off.
She decided she wanted this in her "I can do it myself!!" stage, she's fighting me on the stories now in the same I can do it myself! way