Am I a Bedtime Tyrant?

OK, so bedtime at my house is a little regimented.  Make that a lot regimented.  As in, "the world may end if bathtime does not start by 6:30 so that PBS viewing can start at 7 so that reading aloud can start at 7:30" regimented.  I can predict with frightening accuracy the exact amount of time it will take to clean, brush and outfit for bed four children in sequential and various flavors of concurrent order, and I get a bit tied up in knots if I forsee that this is not unfolding in a timely fashion on a particular evening.  My husband, a delightfully laid-back non-watch-wearing sort of person, has some concern that this behavior is pathological. And occasionally, as I break into a sweat because we're running late to watch Curious George, I wonder if the man has a point.  Perhaps my kids will grow up to be tightly wound, anxious Type A people who freak out if the mailman is five minutes late.  Maybe they'll never learn to manage their own schedule, because it came pre-ordered from Mom the Bedtime Tyrant.  Maybe the condition will be come permanent, and no one in our household will EVER BE ABLE TO RELAX AGAIN.

But here's the thing.  Last night, all went well in the land of the Bedtime Tyrant.  We had our act together enough to chop and prep the night before, so dinner was actually on the table at six with minimal stress.  The kiddos actually ATE it.  #1 and #2 had plenty of time to get ready for bed in a leisurely fashion, while #3 and #4 got baths and emerged all cute and nice-smelling.  There was cuddle time for #4 til his appointed bedtime, rolling smoothly into read/snuggle time for #3 til HIS appointed bedtime, setting me up for read/snuggle time with #1 and #2 before THEIR appointed bedtime.  At 8:30, all in the upstairs zone was silent.  Whoo-hoo!  I felt like an elite athlete hitting a good split.  Round two, the downstairs zone, involving lunch packing, backpack-stocking, clothes-selecting, and cleaning up dinner, was all done before 10pm.  Lo and behold, hubby and I went to bed at OUR appointed bedtime.  And talked in complete sentences. And checked a couple of nagging to-dos off the list.  And actually enjoyed each others' company.  I felt great.  I felt stoked.  I felt...RELAXED. 

I admit, it is sort of a bummer that there's no room in my evening plans for long hot baths (although I do occasionally declare a Long Hot Bath Emergency and to heck with the dirty dishes), running out for a pedicure, or pretty much spontaneity on any level. And don't get me wrong, there are many evenings at our house when the dinner is not hot, nobody gets a bath, and chaos reigns.  But on the other hand, I do have these four pretty awesome kiddos.  And one unquestionably awesome husband.  And yesterday, I got to hug everybody and spend a little face time with them and let them know that they're worth my attention.  Which I guess is a decent trade-off for never getting to watch "The Bachelor".  And maybe even being known as the Bedtime Tyrant.