By Cricket Media Dad
You know that meme “What I think X will be like” vs. “What X is actually like”? If it were applied to bedtime in my house, it would look like this:
What I think bedtime will be like:
What bedtime is actually like:
You’ve been there, right? Your kid(s) are melting down about everything from how their toothpaste tastes to what color their pajamas are to which stuffed animal they are going to hug that night. And your wife is just done for the day. She’s looking at you like, just get the job done so we can relax!
The good news is I’ve discovered a tried and true method for becoming the boss of bedtime. The trick is in the bedtime stories I choose. I’ve tried long stories and short stories, fiction and nonfiction, and I’ve discovered that high-quality stories with beautiful illustrations are the best chance for getting my kids to dreamland and me back in front of the television with my feet up and a big bowl of popcorn.
Luckily for me, my kids have a subscription to the award-winning magazine LADYBUG. Finding LADYBUG in my mailbox each month is a lifesaver. My kids love seeing something for them mixed in with the bills and letters for mommy and daddy and they get all excited about bedtime that night. Plus, the stories and articles are relatively short so each kid can choose one or more, avoiding the fighting of whose turn it is to pick this time. The illustrations are beautiful and the quality is unbeatable. It’s the perfect mix to appeal to my boisterous little one and my artsy big girl.
Snuggling up with my favorite little people and enjoying imaginative stories, funny poems, jokes and riddles that will have everyone giggling, and non-fiction articles that answer the exact types of questions my kids have been asking (and I been making up answer to) really does make me feel like I’ve won at parenting. And thanks to Cricket Media’s large stable of magazines, when my kids have outgrown LADYBUG, there will always be another perfect choice for us to switch to.
Ahhh, I love the sound of sleeping children. Thanks LADYBUG. It’s good to be the boss of bedtime.
Editor’s Note: To make this story your reality, be sure to subscribe to LADYBUG or one of Cricket Media’s other award-winning magazines. It’s a tiny investment in your family’s health and happiness.
