Bedtime Regulations

Filibuster
Definition [verb (used without object)]: To impede legislation by irregular or obstructive tactics, especially by making long speeches.
Example: Scott's endless bedtime request for snacks, books or games are obvious attempts to filibuster, delaying the inevitable.

We have finally had to lay down some new ground rules to get Scott into bed, since his 8:00 pm bedtime was often dragging out to 9:00 pm. Just as we were heading to bed, he would suddenly declare that he was desperately hungry, a favourite ruse to win another few minutes of liberty. This is connected to another issue -- Scott's habit of eating only some of his dinner, announcing that he was full, climbing down from his chair and asking for a snack. The two issues came to a head last week, resulting in a bit of a stand-off, lots of tears, and a bunch of new regulations.

R told Scott as he left dinner that he couldn't have a snack later, unless it was to eat more of his dinner. Then when bedtime came and he asked for a snack, I reminded him that he would need to eat more dinner if he was hungry. He launched into a host of arguments in favour of a different type of snack, stating that he was tired of that food, that he was sure if he ate the dinner that he wouldn't be hungry enough for a snack. I told him that I would not relent, so he wanted to try asking R, saying: "Mom, I need a snack because my tummy isn't 100%. It's only 90%."

Since we had made it clear to him already that he had to eat more dinner, rather than rely on an endless stream of snacks, I offered him several options--
D: Like I said, you can choose to have more dinner (tuna casserole), a glass of milk, or nothing.
S: Or water.
D: Right. More dinner, a glass of milk, water, or nothing. But you have one minute to choose.
S: (Crying and stomping) But it takes more time than that!
D: Just say what you want. That part can be really quick.
S: (More crying) But I don't have enough time!
D: Just tell me which one you want, dinner or milk!
S: (Sobbing) But I want both!
D: Okay. Fine.
S: (Sudden pause) Okay.

As he ate the rest of his tuna casserole, we negotiated some new ground rules:
- Once the clock hits 8:00 pm, he can't have anything else to eat, so snacks have to happen earlier
- He can't have any snacks until he has eaten all the food from his dinner plate
- If he can be in bed with everything done (teeth, potty, jammies, etc) by 8:15 pm, he can watch a YouTube video on my phone.
- If he gets in bed by 8:14 pm, he gets two videos
- If he gets in bed by 8:13 pm, he gets three videos

So far, the arrangement has been a success, and he's eaten his dinner/snacks earlier and gotten ready faster. I'm sure that this will only last for a while and then we'll have to come up with something new when he starts to filibuster again.