Last night, Hanna was settled in her pj’s, showered, winding down from a long day at school and activities.

It was 6:27pm.

The phone rang and it was one of her 9 year old friends asking if she wanted to play. Hanna quickly said, “No I can’t right now” and hung up the phone.

I worried her friend might be offended by her quick refusal but Hanna explained, she was too embarrassed to tell her friend (who wanted to play at a rather disturbingly late hour) that she was already in her pj’s and ready for bed at 6:30pm. (Insert a lot of eye rolling and !*&#!!!)

I think it’s time we let our 9 year old stay awake a few minutes after the most current, daily UVA and UVB warnings.

This realization however, ruffled the feathers of the 7 and 3 year olds who would also like to stay awake (or do whatever it is we were going to let Hanna do….Chloe wasn’t really paying attention), because it’s just not fair!!

Here’s the problem; our three kids (ages 9, 7 and 3) go to bed at the same time, sometime between 7:30pm and 8pm (gasp). Our 7 year old falls asleep brushing her teeth and is the last to wake up in the morning which tells me, she is getting the right amount of sleep. Our 9 year old lays in bed as the sun burns her through her blinds, reading, puttering, organizing her room, plotting how to steal/hide her sister’s candy for her own enjoyment until well after 9pm. Our 3 year old is the last to fall asleep most nights. Before you suggest we should start phasing out her afternoon nap, I will find you and I will hurt you.

The logical solution is to let Hanna stay up a little later. She is the oldest, she doesn’t need as much sleep as the younger two, she has been embarrassed by one too many play date invites coming in after lights-out.

Ellie: That’s! Not! Fair! If Hanna gets to stay up, so do I!!!!

Chloe: If Hanna gets a freezie, I get a freezie!

At no time did anyone mention the word freezies Chloe. Can you for one minute forget about freezies.

We thought our plan was solid. All three girls would have their showers, snacks and begin the bedtime routine at the same time. They would brush their teeth, read books and Hanna would sneak out of her room when Ellie fell asleep (on the way to her room) and Chloe was busy drawing with permanent marker on her sheets or making a wood carving out of her headboard.

Except Hanna’s escape wasn’t foolproof.

The first to catch her in the family room after hours was Ellie.

Ellie: Why isn’t Hanna in her bed?

We did not think this one through.

The second to arrive was Chloe, twenty minutes later. This time, Hanna was strategically hidden (by Greg) under a blanket on the couch.
Chloe: Well I know I heard Hanna’s voice out here but I can’t see her. Is that her under the blanket on the couch?

For the rest of “Operation Big Kid Bed Time” we opted to sit very quietly, staring at the floor so as not to attract any attention from previously tucked in children (or hunters).

This had gotten weird, fast.

By 9:30pm, Greg and I agreed, we should all go to bed so nobody could feel they were being duped. I asked myself for the seventh time yesterday, “Who is in charge here again?”

It seemed like everyone was settling in until the phone rang at just after 10pm. One of Chloe’s friends wanted to know if she could borrow her piercing gun.