part of the standard bedtime routine around here is a "special extra story" that used to actually be special and extra. ;)
the two older kids start every day with an assumption of three storybooks at bedtime, plus the special extra story (which razi used to earn by reading a book to ME, but that sort of evaporated when his little sister who couldn't read at all got into the act).
one book is for staying clean and dry all day, which should be a given since zora is almost five now, but sometimes she gets lazy. argh.
the other two books are for cleaning up the two downstairs rooms in a timely manner at clean-up time. if they finish in under half an hour, they get both. if not, fifteen minute intervals come to take away the other two books and then the special extra story.
last night zora lost everything. then she had to lose something else even beyond the special extra story, so she lost the priviledge of drinking soda next shabbat. she was devastated. good. maybe she'll learn that screaming fits are not the best way to deal with disappointments.
razi, though, still got the special extra story. now, my spouse is a genius for making these things up on the fly, with prompts the children give him right before. our cats, hello kitty and godzilla are regular stars. but last night it was apparently my turn, so i told a story of godzilla rising from a laboratory at the local university and destroying the town we live in. of course, my spouse - genius that he is - saved the day with the judicious placement of a sleeping-pill-laced lean cuisine on top of a freight car.
everyone knows that godzilla's favorite snack is a train. ;)
yes, it was a goofy story, but razi seemed to like it.
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hmm. maybe i should come up with a reward system for tenants who pay their rent and don't pee on the floor!
I used to do the same for O (minus the losing a story, tho that did come in to play a couple times but only if he was up late and I was tired) - 3 stories and a "Cera story" that involved his stuffed triceratops named after the obnoxious dinosaur on the Land Before Time. I really don't enjoy making up stories, esp. on the fly. Ah, parenting.
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