MY.DAUGHTER.WILL.NOT.GO.TO.BED.AT.NIGHT.ANYMORE! For the past three weeks the bedtime ritual has gone to pot. Scratch that. The ritual is still happening, it's the bedtime part that's got a glitch.
R. has been battling me for at least an hour to an hour and a half every.single.night. I know I'll be getting lots of advice on this one. So, let me tell you now, I've probably tried it.
I've gone the sweet mommy route with lullaby singing and back rubbing. R. just talks and talks through it.
I've even gone Supernanny on her. When she gets settled in bed, I kiss her goodnight and leave the room. I go down the stairs. The door opens. I go back up the stairs. I pick her up. I put her back in bed. I turn and the process starts all over again. And again. And again. And so on and so on. You get the picture.
I'm telling you, I should have million dollar legs from all of my stair stepping.
This past week my mother-in-law was staying with us. Which is another post, entirely. Mom was staying in R.'s room and my dear daughter was staying in my bed with me. Mr. Schmitty had to work early so he took the spare bedroom. Lucky bastard. I'm sure he slept like a baby.
At 8:00, R. settled down and watched some cartoons. When it was time for sleep, I turned off the tv and told her to close her eyes. She said, "Mom, you sleep too."
"I can't honey, I have some work to do. I'll be up in a little while to snuggle with you."
Imagine what an atomic bomb must sound like when it explodes. Now multiply that by ten.
For the next ninety minutes I got pillows hurled at me, names spewed at me, and ultimatums thrown at me. That's right, she was giving me ultimatums.
"Mommy, you better come to bed NOW! Or I won't like you anymore!"
The grudge match had been waged. Who do you think she gets her stubborn streak from? Mr. Schmitty? I think not.
There was no way this momma was backing down now. I informed her that it was time for her to lie down and go to sleep. I said I would sit on the bed until she fell asleep so she wouldn't feel alone in my room. I was not, however, going to sleep yet because I was a grown up and it was not my bedtime yet.
She crossed her arms, stuck that button nose of hers up in the air, and "humpfed" at me as she turned her head.
"NO! You need to go to sleep, I said!"
As bratty as that is, and I know that it absolutely is, it was also so darned cute that I had to stifle a laugh.
"Do I need to get the duct tape for that fresh mouth of yours?" I asked her.
"Who has the duck tape?"
"The duck does."
"We don't have a duck!"
She began to giggle. Then my Sybil reincarnate yawned and put her head on the pillow. I sang three verses of "Hush Little Baby" as I sat on the bed. Just like I said I would, neener, neener, neener.
That's all it took for the Princess to fall fast asleep. Some comic relief.
And they lived happily ever after.....at least for another 24 hours.....THE END.
13 comments:
I am experiencing a LOT of bedtime routine angst and it makes me insane! My girls' internal clock apparently tells them to start running around like monkeys at 8 p.m. ;)
Oh no! I am getting this at naptime. When did they grow up and start forming opinions, darn it :-)
Seriously...I remember those days all too well. Stupidly, when Dawson was 18 months old, I brought him in bed with me because I was tired of fighting him. Here we hare 2 1/2 years later....and he still sleeps with us.
Ugh. Biggest parenting mistake ever. But I figure, he can't sleep with us forever. I hope?
I am just SO GLAD that all that is behind me. Neither of my boys wanted to sleep any longer than they absolutely had to. It was a nightmare and I was a zombie.
But I can reassure those of you who might be worrying, that despite being a very accommodating parent, and letting my kids crawl into bed with us (even taking them into the spare room at times so OH could sleep) both of them have grown up able and willing to sleep on their own.
Actually that might not be entirely true. Since they've left home I have no way of knowing. But at least they don't sleep with ME anymore. LOL!
Oh, I'm right there in the same spot as you. Cindy-Lu gets in her bed, but as soon as I close the door she gets down and plays. She doesn't come out of her room until I've got to bed myself though. And then she needs a drink. Or to go pee. Or to tattle on her big brother who is sleeping soundly. I have no advice for you.
And I am forever having to hide my laughter at the things CL says. It's hard sometimes! They are such brats, but man, they are funny! I once told CL not to get out of bed again or she was gonna be in big trouble and she looked me dead in the eye and started SHAKING HER FIST at me and said very firmly "You. Will. Close. The. Door. And. Den. I. Will. Lock. You. Out. And. Den. I. Will. Play. And. You. Not. Come. In. Anymore." Yeah. Funny, but BRATTY! And kind of scary.
Some of the most out of control tantrums have happened in our house at bedtime. I'll have to remember to come up with something funny even though most of the time I feel like screaming and pulling out my hair.
he he he.
I am laughing with you babe. I feel your pain.
Oh girrrrrrrrrrrl. I am feelin' you here. Super B still won't go to sleep by himself, which explains why I have a permanent crick in my neck from hanging off the side of a little red race car bed every night.
Hey - we're going through the same thing here! Tyler will come out of his room 15 times - and some nights threats work the best - where others he just wants a hug and a kiss. I think they just can't seem to let the day come to an end! And I can't blame them - sometimes I don't want to either! =)
Jamie: Every night my kids are told that after dinner it is "quiet time". They can play quietly, watch tv, read, anything that is QUIET. Did I say, it had to be quiet. I repeat it to them that many times too...they still don't get it.
Midwest Mommy: Opinions? They aren't allowed Opinions!
Dana: Yikes...mine sleep in my bed periodically. Mr. Schmitty has a real problem with that. Usually I wind up in THEIR bed...squished up against a wall.
Jay: So their is hope that they will sleep on their own?
Karly: I'm telling you, Cindy-Lu and R. would be the best of friends! FOREVER!
Slackermommy: I may find some funny moments, but I still am in the market for rogaine.
Kelley: I hope you are laughing WITH me and not at me! ;)
T: I know what you mean, this old body can't take it anymore!
Jenny: You are so right. But unfortunately, if they don't end their day, I can't come down from mine!
No advice - just sympathy - been there many times.
Supernanny did work for us though - it's the sneak sneaks into our room in the middle of every single night that we're battling currently.
Oh, that's tough. I've never been a spanker, but she could convert me. JK (I think) :)
Julia still sleeps with me. And I'm such a pushover - I lay down with her until she goes to sleep, then I get back up.
Yeah, she is so the boss of me.
Post a Comment