Just Go To Bed Already

In my very busy life, I have days when I really look forward to the kids going to bed. It's the first time all day that I can relax and do something for myself. Don’t get me wrong, I love my kids dearly and I love to spend time with them but they are energy sappers and I am an introvert by nature. What I have learned about being an introvert is that I need a lot of down time in order to get rejuvenated and refreshed and ready to go back out into the world of people and energy sappers again. For this reason, bedtime is very important to me. And I am strict about what time it starts.
8 o’clock pm. Sharp. If it goes beyond 8 pm, I have been known to grow fangs and become a bit short-tempered. Sometimes I have days when I wish that bedtime would come a little sooner than 8 pm. But my ability to send children to bed early has been prevented by their increasing ability to tell time and their awareness of daylight and darkness. And I have tried but I get the response of "it’s only 7:57, we have 3 more minutes.”
Even though my bedtime is strict, my kids are not great about staying in bed at 8pm. And they try to stretch out the bedtime process as much as possible. The following is a list of things they have said to me.
Reasons why they can't go to bed yet:
1. I have to go to the bathroom.
2. I need a glass of water.
3. I forgot something downstairs.
4. I have to say good-night to everyone.
5. I forgot to do my homework.
6. I’m waiting for __________ to go to bed…or to get out of the bathroom.
7. You didn’t hug me. (and I already did, at least twice)
8. I can’t find my webkin and I can’t sleep without him.
9. My brother/sister won’t stop talking.
10. I want to watch TV with you.
11. I’m not sleepy.
12. I just want to know who you are talking to on Facebook. Will you say Hi for me?
13. I just wanted to know what you are doing.
14. I forgot to tell you that I love you.
15. What are we doing tomorrow?

Do I give in? NO! But, by the end of it all, I am even more exhausted than I was before.