Bedtime Is When It All Comes Out

He checked on her at 9:30. Light off, phone down, looked like she was asleep.

At 10:15 she knocked on his door.

She didn't want anything specific. Just stood there in the doorway for a second. Then she said she didn't want to go to school tomorrow and he asked why and she said she didn't know and then she cried for about four minutes and went back to bed.

That's how it goes now. Nothing all day. Everything at bedtime.

Bedtime is when kids finally stop managing themselves. The performance of the school day is over. The house is quiet. Whatever they've been carrying all day has nowhere else to go.

If your kid is coming to you at night with things they won't say during the day, that's not a bad sign. It means they trust you enough to let it out. The hard part is staying present when you're already exhausted and tomorrow starts early.

You don't have to fix it at 10pm. You just have to be there.

If what's coming out at bedtime is bigger than one conversation can hold, Texas Care Stop 6 works with Fort Worth kids and families on what's underneath the surface. We come to the home. Medicaid accepted. No referral needed.

Help should be easier to reach.