The bedtime story rule that made reading time actually calm, not stalling

Bedtime stories had turned into a stalling tactic — "one more page" negotiated endlessly, story time stretching well past when it should end. The fix was setting the number of pages or chapters before we started, out loud, agreed on in advance, so there was nothing left to negotiate once we were reading.

What surprised me was that reading time got more relaxed once the boundary was clear, not less. When the end point is known and fixed, nobody's anxious about when it's going to end, and the actual reading — the part that's supposed to be calming — finally started to feel calming instead of like a countdown to an argument.

Related reading: The Practical Parenting Guide: Bedtime, Chores, and What to Say Instead.