Our bedtime rituals have changed over the years. (My ds is 6 almost 7). Now, when I lay down with him at night, usually about 16 minutes, we make up stories or talk about whatever. Then when it is time for me to go I hear, “Mommy, close my closet door, nightlight on, fan on, hug and a kiss, I love you good night.”

One night when he was about 3 we were making finger puppet shadows on the wall and ceiling. I was pretending I was a duck and very loudly said “QUAAAAACK” His eyes got huge and he started laughing hysterically. After that night he would ocaisionally yell QUAAACK! When he got into kindergarten he decided he wanted to be in the talent show. He wanted to tell a joke which I didn’t find out until after the show. So here it was/ Knock Knock (who’s there) a duck (a duck who) QUAAAAACK. I wondered for days what would cause him to say that. Then one night I was paging through his journal and came upon the entry about the story I just told.
How do you explain to a 5 year old that it is funny to only you and mommy?
You don’t. LOL

Lately, because of some fussing … we’ve been using visualization techniques to settle down our easier girl. We play ocean sounds — that’s not new — but now we have her focus on those sounds, the water, the waves, the birds, etc. Calms her right down. She likes the sounds of our voices, too, so that helps.

We do a nightly hug session with the lights out. The 4 of us gather together and hug and say night-night. It’s a must!