That's right. One of the best parenting tricks is to offer two options, instead of just insisting on a particular thing. That way they get to make a decision for themselves and they're still doing something within parameters set by the parents.

Undisciplined

alter_native

Parent Corner: Bedtime is fiat

I'm not a parent yet, so my advice probably doesn't hold as much water as others' in this thread, but: **kids are people too**. 

Their world view is smaller, their brain is still developing, and they don't yet understand all the implications of their choices, but they are still human beings! 

Bedtime, mealtime, and similar rules can feel arbitrarily restrictive when they see the adults around them operating by different standards.

"But daddy doesn't go to sleep this early, why should I?"
"Mommy doesn't always eat at the same time, why should I?"

Kids have an innate sense of fairness, and when they see different rules for different people without understanding the reasoning, it can feel unjust.

If we want them to develop good judgment, perhaps giving them small opportunities to practice decision-making (even if the results aren't perfect) teaches them more than forcing compliance ever could!