London - The perfect bedtime story lasts eight-and-a-half minutes and includes a dragon, a princess, a wizard and a fairy, research reveals.
And such knowledge might just come in handy because the survey also found that parents spend a total of one week a year trying to get their children to go to sleep.
While the ideal story lasting eight minutes and 36 seconds might have traditional elements, such as the backdrop of a castle, the hero should carry a thoroughly modern mobile phone as well as a magic wand.
A strong friendship must develop between characters and there has to be a scary moment in which the hero faces danger when he or she fights the baddie. And, of course, the main character must defeat the evil villain and live happily-ever-after.
As the new academic year approaches, the Butlin’s study of 2 000 adults and children found a fifth of parents agree that the “back to school” period is the hardest time of year to get their youngsters to settle down for the night.
Daily Mail