Pop quiz! What is something that's the best and the worst, happens daily, and often involves ceremoniously turning the lights out? Nope, it’s nothing sexy. I’m actually talking about toddler bedtime. Thankfully, my partner is frequently around to step up and I now have a handy-dandy (yes, I said handy-dandy) list of things that grown-ass men can do during bedtime.
If you’re currently in the throes of bedtime and don’t have time for the full list, here’s the gist of it: Grown-ass men help out. They are part of the routine. They are hands-on. They don't buy into gender stereotypes that insist the majority of parenting responsibilities automatically fall to the woman or "mom." It sounds simple, sure, but as parents know, any task involving small children are rarely (if ever) as easy as they initially seem.
I mean, bedtime can be the best because my kid is looking super cute and snuggly in his pajamas, we are done with all meals of the day (so the messes are kept to a relative minimum), and I know I’m mere moments away from glorious free time. It can also be the worst because it’s freaking hard to wrangle a toddler and get him or her to settle down long enough to actually sleep. So, here’s how bedtime can (and hopefully, does) play out when a grown-ass man is involved: