A bedtime story is a traditional form of storytelling, where a story is told to a child at bedtime to prepare them for sleep.
Bedtime stories have many advantages, for parents/adults and children alike. The fixed routine of a bedtime story before sleeping has a relaxing effect, and the soothing voice of a person telling a story makes the child fall asleep more easily. The emotional aspect creates a bond between the storyteller and the listener, often a parent and child.
Bedtime stories can be read from a book, or rather, fictional stories made up by the storyteller. The stories are mostly rather short, between one and five minutes, and have a happy ending. A different form of bedtime reading is using longer stories, but dividing them up, thus creating cliffhangers. Children will look forward to their bedtime story, and a fixed routine is installed.
Famous quotes containing the words bedtime and/or story:
“Rearing three children is like growing a cactus, a gardenia, and a tubful of impatiens. Each needs varying amounts of water, sunlight and pruning. Were I to be absolutely fair, I would have to treat each child as if he or she were absolutely identical to the other siblings, and there would be no profit for anyone in that.”
—Phyllis Theroux, U.S. journalist. “On Being Fair,” Night Lights: Bedtime Stories for Parents in the Dark, Penguin (1987)
“Mr. Wiggam, I want you to change the policy of The Clarion. I want you to write a story I should have written myself long ago. I want you to tell the people of San Francisco that no city can exist without law and order. Write a story about that flag, write about what verifies and brings a promise of life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. There are some people in this town who don’t seem to know that. Let The Clarion tell them.”
—Ben Hecht (1893–1964)