9 o’clock bed time

I always tell my kids after 9 pm it’s the witching hour. I sometimes think I really turn into one as well. You see, I need my down time. I need time with my husband, to read a book, watch the news or just be me, Allison Ochs, an individual and not the Mom. When they might happen to venture out of their rooms after 9 p.m.  I can get angry. Obviously, when they were little my witching hour was earlier but I have teens now and yes there is still a 9 p.m. go to your room time.

My mom and Dad had us in our rooms even as teens by 9 p.m. every night. It wasn’t that we had to sleep but we had to be quiet, read, and be in bed and ready for bed. At 10 p.m. the lights went off. This is something I didn’t always understand as a teen and I was on occasion annoyed with my Mom and Dad. If it was nice weather I wanted to sit outside and read. What was their problem? Why wouldn’t my parents ease up a bit? My Mom used to always say you need adult time and she is so right. They had 11 of us. If we all would have done what we wanted it would have been mayhem. 

Being in raised in a big family is all about routine, rules and structure but it should be that way regardless of how many kids you have. Even with 3 kids, I need my own time. Set a go to your room time, take computers and phones away and let them read and daydream. Spend time with your spouse or just with a good book and recharge. My Mom and Dad taught me this survival trick and I forgive them for their early bedtimes and I hope my kids will forgive me one day. Oh and one last thing, remember to pop that door open and tell them you love them. Teens still love a good night kiss even though they won’t admit it.

— Allison Ochs