Can anyone enlighten me about the mystery that is children. Specifically in relation to bed time. I mean, bed time happens every night {an idea I’ve tried to warm my kids up to for 7 years} yet somehow, every night it comes as a surprise to them. It’s as though I am inflicting some type of cruel punishment the moment I speak the words “Time to brush teeth.”
Most definitely I will be met by resistance. Groans, tears, sometimes straight up ignorance. Why do we have to co-erce them. Even our one year old begins to cry as I lay her down for the final diaper change of the day and zip her into her little sack {a sleep sack to be precise} It’s her protest, even though she actually loves sleeping. All of my kids do. Our 7 year old has been the last one up a month… it’s as though he is turning into a teenager. Yet he always tells me “Mom, it takes me hours to fall asleep…. I may as well just be awake.”
Sure son. Sure.
The thing is, every night we are faced with the reality that Bed Time Happens. Every. Night.
Isn’t bed time exhausting as a parent? These days we have adapted the divide and conquer method. I take the baby, Matt takes the boys. We used to tag team the boys… put them back. Story. Take away the lovies. Threaten. Lay. Sing. Pray. Lights off. Close doors. Return lovies. Water. Pray. Lay.
You get the idea.
Thankfully bed time has simplified slightly, but to be honest, it’s still never predictable. Sometimes it’s smooth, sometimes there is crying… mostly from the baby 😉 Other nights there are giggles, cuddles and closed eyes.
Tonight there was a little bit of both.
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I have been trying to take time to enjoy the little things. The moments of Finley babbling about life as she lays beside me after nursing. They way she twirls her hair. How she spreads out like a star fish when I lay her in the crib.
How the boys chat and giggle after they get kisses, and the door is closed. They way G still crawls into our bed in the morning or “puts me back to sleep with a kiss.”
But most days bed time can’t come soon enough and the morning comes all too soon. I guess I have to make peace with the fact that bed time happens every night… and every morning duty calls! Thank goodness my husby taught our 7 year old how to make coffee last year 😉
-Miss Ash