Bedtime

The kids

Jet, Cameron, Arrow, Meadow, Dash.

The sequence

1. 8:45 PM — start thinking about it. Not too early. The trap is treating 9 PM as the start time; by then we are already behind.
2. Phones and laptops away. All of us. If I am still on mine, they are still on theirs.
3. Brush and floss. Help, do not just remind.
4. Everyone to their own rooms.
5. Clothes out for tomorrow. They pick them before lights out.
6. Alarms set. Confirm the alarm on each kid’s device before leaving the room.

Why it is harder than it sounds

On paper this is six steps. In practice each one is a branch point where a kid wanders off, a phone reappears, or a toothbrush goes missing. The 8:45 start exists to absorb that drift.