Expert shares why children ask so many questions during bedtime and strategy for parents to help

Getting children to bed is a daily struggle parents face in their lives. Every child has their own unique pattern when it comes to falling asleep. Also, it rarely stays the same, with children coming up with various ways to keep the parents on their toes. All their thoughts come alive during the night and they want to talk about everything going through their heads on the bed. It can become quite frustrating for parents who are completely tired by the end of the day. Dr. Becky—who goes by @drbeckyatgoodinside on Instagram—has shared what she believed to be the reason why children procrastinate so much at night. She also provides parents with a solution that would decrease the queries posed by children and put them in a better mood for bedtime.

The video begins with a meme of Jimmy Fallon singing: "Don't Stop Believing" while being constantly interrupted by Will Ferrell with questions about the lyrics. The text overlay reads, "When you're trying to read your kids a quick bedtime story and they won't stop asking questions." Becky stitched her response with this meme. She began with, "Here's why kids procrastinate at bedtime. They're not giving you a hard time, they are having a hard time because they're anxious about the upcoming separation from you." The biggest presence in a child's life is their parents. It is with them that children feel safe and according to Becky, they struggle to let go of that warmth during bedtime. Therefore, they try to delay the separation with questions.

"At night, sleep struggles are really separation struggles and if a kid keeps asking question after question- they are often less interested in the answer, then they are at getting a little bit more of you, their parent," she explains. To ease these struggles from them Becky provides a solution. "Instead of answering them over and over and getting annoyed. Pause and say this to your child- Wait a second, I just want to give you a really big squeeze." It will give children a really good moment of connection before bedtime. This connection will help them to 'let go' easily. "I promise you—The questions will be fewer because you spoke to their real need, the need for connection," she elucidates. Becky explains that during bedtime, children are not looking for answers to their questions but want to bond with their parents. This action fulfills that requirement specifically, causing less procrastination.

Her video has garnered over 874K views and 16K likes. The comment section was on board with the suggestion. @gujaratilanguage shared her experience and wrote, "My kids are the best procrastinators at bedtime! They will think of the most random urgent questions. I started bedtime earlier and will sit with them and just chat for a few minutes before bed. That's all they needed and they sleep earlier too." @naantje8 expressed her gratitude to Becky and commented, "You're like a magician! Like a magician for parents! Same thing happens in the morning, (before drop off)."

You can follow Dr. Becky (@drbeckyatgoodinside) on Instagram for more parenting advice.