Always! Isn't it horrible? I swear Mommy Guilt is the worst ailment out there.
For me,I have the hardest time finding patience at night. My kids used to be good sleepers, and now my son is having THE worst time getting to sleep at night. He'll come downstairs over and over. He has sensory issues, so I know it's his mind and his body keeping him awake. But man, by 9 pm, Mommy's fuse is just too short!
I can relate. I think I view bedtime as so stressful - because when they go down - that's my time to relax, do a chore, whatever. I wonder if I'm exuding pressure on my kids to "go to bed!"... and maybe that's why it's a challenge sometimes.
I have found that if I really prepare them for the "task" of going to bed - we have better success. Routine, routine, routine. And definitely exercise... we play for an hour after school - then homework - and then playtime before dinner if time allows. When they've had an active day - it seems to work best. But I know - I don't want the send off to bed to be tense... I want to be happy with them at bedtime... ugh.
I want bedtime to be a positive thing for my son. Right now he's almost 2, and even though people advise against it, he sleeps in the bed with me. I nursed him for a long time and that was just easiest for me.
BUT, one of my worst memories from childhood was always bedtime. I don't remember many nights where I did not cry myself to sleep. My parents made us go to bed at 730. I was almost never tired, so I would lay there for hours crying or just staring at the shadows on my cieling. Whether they were doing the right thing or not (and I'm sure bedtime is different for every family) I always swore to myself that my son won't go through that. Not that I let him stay up all night, but when he's tired, he will go to sleep
