Bedtime is TORTURE TIME

My children, Miss Night and Master Day, are basically using bedtime as a torture device lately. It's a completely unnecessary evil, and I'm wondering if anyone else has similar issues.

Miss Night is not so bad. She gives a little resistance, wants to spend time getting a little water, drags her feet walking to bed, and complains that "he's not going yet, why do I have to?" And, of course, drags out the time she takes saying good night to Daddy. He's just as much at fault, because he lets it happen. I'm always the mean one who has to go in there, and remind BOTH of them, it's bed time.

He's not the one that deals with the mess in the morning, I AM.

Now, Mr. Night. He's a damn PSYCHO when it comes to bed. It's like Jekyl & Hyde. I fully expect his head to twist around and around, and pea soup will come spewing from his pie hole. He's never had pea soup, but there it will be, all over me, the walls, and the entire bed.

The ritual is: Wash Up, Brush Teeth, PJs on, story read, bed. Each night, it's basically the same thing. Once the word bed is uttered, The Boy turns into PSYCHOPATH BED AVOID-ER. He has to have his teaspoon of honey, he must have a sip of water, he has to go to the bathroom, he has to have the hall light on, and his bedroom light on, he has to read in bed, he has to get up and say goodnight 10-15 times, calls from his room "you didn't come in to say goodnight," and me SCREAMING BACK "Yes I did, now go to sleep."

WTF? Seriously, every night the two of them hit the hay at 8pm. She'll sing, talk to herself, and usually is out like a light by 8:30pm, sometimes longer.

TORTURE BOY? He's up until who knows......it could 8:15, or it could be 11pm.

I'm ready to toss in the towel and hire an guard to stand outside his door!