For many children, bedtime is the one part of the day when they have a parent entirely to themselves. Children benefit from knowing that both things can be true: My parent understands my feelings, and bedtime is still bedtime. For older children, connection might look like sitting together before bedtime to talk, draw, shoot hoops, or simply exist without an agenda. Research consistently shows that warm, predictable bedtime routines are associated with better sleep quality, fewer bedtime difficulties, and stronger emotional and behavioral regulation. Sometimes bedtime stalling isn't really about stalling at all.