What happens after children settle in these accounts? Allyson Felix described trying to watch an episode with her husband, Laura Vanderkam described reading or puzzles when time allowed, and Michael Phelps described going to bed shortly after his children. The accounts come from different years and households. They do not promise a spare hour or prescribe a family schedule.
| Person | Reported sequence | Source and date | Limit | Full profile |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Allyson Felix | Children asleep, then an episode with her husband | Sportsish, September 23, 2026 | She said she generally fell asleep first | Allyson Felix |
| Laura Vanderkam | Reading on a phone while sitting with her youngest; reading or puzzles later when possible | Her own site, April 12, 2023 | Time afterward varied by evening | Laura Vanderkam |
| Michael Phelps | Children in bed by 7 or 7:30 p.m., then his own bed soon after | GQ, March 4, 2021 | One answer in a diet interview | Michael Phelps |
Allyson Felix: an episode they try to watch together
Asked by Sportsish in an interview published September 23, 2026 what she did to relax once her children were asleep, Felix said the end of the night was time for her and her husband to connect. They would try to watch an episode of something. She said she generally fell asleep, but that the intention was there and they tried.
At the time, the show was Tulsa King. That was what they were watching then, not a current viewing claim. She gave no episode length, bedtime or nightly guarantee. The interview surrounds that answer with her shoe brand, business work and her stated goal of competing at LA 2028.
Laura Vanderkam: reading can begin in the waiting time
In a post on her own site dated April 12, 2023, Vanderkam wrote that the older children were in their rooms by 9 on weekdays. Her 3-year-old sometimes needed someone sitting with him as he fell asleep, so she might not leave his room until about 9:30.
She used that time to read on the Kindle app on her phone, which she said would otherwise have been lost time. Allowing for a 10 to 15 minute interlude for chats and lights-out, she wrote, an earlier night could leave some kid-free time. On those evenings she described enjoying reading or puzzles without interruptions. A phone and an e-book app are part of her account, so it is not a no-screen example.
The post appears on her own commercial site, a list of household tips. Specific commercial terms for the post are not established. This collection uses her paragraph, not reader comments.
Michael Phelps: sometimes the next step is bed
In GQ’s March 4, 2021 Real-Life Diet interview, Phelps said the family ate at a decent hour so the boys could be in bed by 7 or 7:30. He said he was in bed shortly after them.
That is the whole evening detail. He did not describe an activity between the two bedtimes, and the times are one household’s arrangement, not a recommendation. The interview was largely about diet and promoted his partnership with Silk Ultra; its diet, fitness and mental-health material is outside this collection.
Different households, different dates
The three accounts span 2021 to 2026 and three kinds of source: a newsletter interview, a personal blog post and a magazine Q&A. One describes time with a partner, one describes reading in waiting time, and one describes going to bed soon after the children. Felix described an intention that often went unfinished, and Vanderkam described time that depended on how the evening went. They share no duration and do not show what any of these households does today.
These are personal accounts, not parenting guidance, recommendations or personalized medical advice. Each full profile above carries its own sources and context. For a related account of evening family time and reading, see Guy Meadows. Read more about SleepStacks. Sources checked November 8, 2026.