As someone who has watched copious amounts of Supernanny, I know that a child's routine is the most crucial thing in ensuring the peace of the whole family. For adults, it might not matter if we go to bed at 10 PM on Monday, 1 AM on Tuesday, and midnight on Wednesday, but for kids, that kind of inconsistent schedule will give them nothing but problems. Kids can't create a disciplined routine and follow it on their own: they need their parents to control when they go to bed, when they leave for school, when they do their homework, and when they eat dinner, and they thrive when that is consistent every day. You would think that deviating from the schedule once won't hurt them, but a toddler going to bed one and a half hours too late can create all kinds of h*** for the parents who let that happen.
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