Bedtime?

So here is where I stand right now. It is just after 11:00 pm on Sunday night. My 2 year old daughter had been up until 10:30 playing with some friends of the family and I got to thinking, scary I know, do we need a bed time if nothing is happening the next day?

Now I am one that sticks to a strict schedule when it comes to my daughter, she needs the structure to understand fully what is happening. Plus it makes parenting a lot easier when you know when your child gets tired or hungry. But tonight I veered off the schedule to let her play for a long time past her bedtime, and immediately it was evident she was over tired. Hoping that she will sleep in tomorrow, I let it slide tonight. I doubt she will sleep in tomorrow morning, but valid point none the less.

Once in a while is not a bad thing with leaving your child up past their bedtime, they need the interaction just as much as the adults do, I do think it is a bad thing to do it consistently. With that being said, I think it's my bed time.

Remember to be a parent, not a friend, to your kids. Friendship will come from solid parenting, parenting will not come from solid friendship.