When Bedtime Story Reading Becomes My Horror Story

As a night-duty mum, some nights are long, while some nights are longgg.

On good nights, my 7-year-old and 4-year-old enjoy each other’s company or are engrossed in drawing, colouring or playing with a new toy, granting me time to catch up with social media, text my friends, and even sneak in some work. On bad nights, they are squabbling or complaining about being bored. When the latter happens, the night-duty mum usually gets summoned to read “bedtime stories”, two words that fill me with dread.

Let’s get this straight. I’m big on reading and I consider myself a book advocate. The kind who would buy just about any book my kid asks for (because it’s a book! I’m in the publishing industry and books are sacred!). But as my kids grow, bedtime story time has become complicated. A political weapon, I would add.

Once upon a time, a child asks their mum to read a bedtime story, in the hope of spiting the sibling. The sibling retaliates by asking the mum to read another book of their choice. What follows is a grating loop of “mine first!” in crescendo.

Torn and weary, the mum asks the siblings to play scissors-paper-stone. The winner will have their choice of book read first. Dissatisfied, the loser asks the mum to read two books of their choice, instead of one.

Not wanting to be one-upped, the winner asks the mum to read two books of their choice as well to be fair, bringing the total number of books for reading from two to four. The real loser here, as it turns out… is the mum.

That’s the story of my “bedtime stories” life, practically every night.

But you know what’s worse than the pre-reading drama? Having to read the same books over and over, because they’re my kids’ favourites. Some titles have stuck with us for years. My daughter loves Three Billy Goats Gruff, while my son adores The Enormous Turnip. Both classics in their own right.

As a novelty-seeking reader, a bit of my soul withers each time I read those books yet again, sometimes on repeat in the same session. Because they beg for it. When I try to spice it up by replacing key elements in the story or changing the order of events, one of my kids will object and insist that I stick to the original version.

Here comes a consolation. I was introduced to some fresh bedtime story reading ideas, thanks to a podcast called Book Monsters — helmed by Kiss92 and Etonhouse Community Fund volunteers. (You can catch it on Awedio or Spotify.) Each weekly episode dishes out practical tips for parents to make the reading journey more enriching and rewarding. For both parents and children.

For instance, using the porridge in Goldilocks and the Three Bears to reintroduce porridge as a cool hot dish to my kids. Who says porridge should be eaten only when you’re sick?

Now, I just need to figure out ways to deal with pre-reading drama, limit bedtime story reading to one book per child, and handle those “read again” pleas…

Drop me a line at sylow@sph.com.sg if you have ideas!

Estelle Low is the editor of The Singapore Women’s Weekly. She loves her kids unconditionally, but hates how parenting is a severely undervalued job. She thinks the world would be a better place if more mums open up about their struggles and ask for help. DM her on Instagram (@estellelow) if you have something to share.