[secret garden]

The key is setting up a routine and keeping it so the kids know what is expected of them. If you'd had a screamer, you'd have tried all kinds of methods. A 10-15 minute story once they're dressed and ready for bed helps calm them down and provide one-on-one attention. Power struggles are not pretty and guess who usually wins them?

[xsmommy]

heck, story and prayers followed by bed is the routine in our house for sure.

[camle]

a good parent usually wins the power struggles. they are responsible and therefore need to be in charge. my kid WAS a screamer. the ex would go up, read, talk, play music, and the nighttime ritual quickly became a two hour ordeal. whne the ex went away for a month, it took me two days to convince the tyke that bedtime was bedtime. by the time the ex returned, she was amazed: I wouuld tell the kid, "bedtime" and she would drop what she was doing, run upstairs, change in to her pj's and climb into bed. nary a peep.

and there was NO force, real or threatened involved.

[Gabz]

Power struggles are not pretty and guess who usually wins them?

Daddy????

All kidding aside, we deal with a power struggle every nighr. Heck, we deal with a power struggle with everything.