My younger sons, Owen (four) and William (six), and I had a good chuckle together last night while listening to the silly adventures of Iggy and his Wiggy Bed on Goodnites® BedtimeTheater.com.  In Chapter Ten, Iggy has to overcome a series of unexpected obstacles, like bubbles shooting out of his bedposts like cannonballs and Spanish-speaking lobsters crawling out from underneath his mattress.
 
As a Mom, I’m not surprised that all of Iggy’s fears and fantasies come out at bedtime! No matter what concerns and worries my kids are facing, they always seem to come bubbling to the surface at bedtime. And even if most of the obstacles my kids and I confront together aren’t as fantastical - or funny - as rogue lobsters and out-of-control bubbles, I think bedtime is still a great time to talk about concerns and help our kids know we’re on their side and that we will work to help them overcome the obstacle, whatever it may be.

Helping your child overcome obstacles isn’t the same as doing all the work for them. The more a child is “in charge” of figuring out ways to conquer those pesky barriers standing in his way, the more empowered and confident he’ll feel. For example, I have encouraged my sons to brainstorm ways around obstacles that come with bedwetting, like being afraid to go to sleepovers, or worrying that their brothers will tease them. With my help they discovered solutions. One of my sons came up with the idea of keeping his GoodNites® Underpants, along with a zip-close plastic bag, in a special, hidden section of his backpack at a sleepover. At bedtime, my son would take the whole backpack into the bathroom and change for bed.  With the pajamas on over his GoodNites®, none of his friends were the wiser. In the morning, he’d change into his regular clothes in the bathroom, put the GoodNites® Underpants into the zipper bag, and bring it home to throw away. A pretty smart solution, if you ask me, and my son was proud of himself for thinking it up.

One hurdle down, a million more to go – that’s parenthood for you! But even obstacles can become positive experiences when kids use their own ingenuity to find solutions. Just make sure you’re there to lend a listening ear or some ideas of your own; whether it’s crazed bubbles or bedwetting, some obstacles are just too big for kids to face all on their own.