Nobody likes it, everybody hates it, why do we even bother?
Oh that's right, I love bedtime.
I just do not like putting my kids to bed. This has always been a struggle for us, more so with our daughter than with our son. With the help of Daylight Savings, the process of getting her to sleep has taken two hours most nights this week. This is really not okay with me. Or her dad. Or her emotions.
We've tried most approaches, and so I'll save you the time and not ask for your advice. It's just her, it's just life, it's just how it is. Some nights she goes right to bed. Some nights she struggles. Some nights she pushes her boundaries. It really just depends on her mood and if I've kept her busy enough to wear her out.
Last night was particularly terrible. Over two hours after we tucked her in, I went up to my room to go to bed and she was still awake. I decided to not let myself get frustrated (that approach had already failed twice in the last hour), so I went into my room, pulled out my worn purple teddy bear from my childhood (who had been hanging out in my closet because my son had somehow found him) and asked her if she could take care of him for me because he was having a hard time. She said yes and after another hug and a kiss, ten minutes later she was snoring.
The really payday came this morning as we played "house." I was the little girl and she was the mommy and she insisted on putting me to bed. I'm never one to say no to a rest, so even though it was 9:30 am, I let her tuck me into bed. She read me a story, gave me a kiss, tucked in the covers, turned out the light, and sang her own rendition of "I am a Child of God at home at school at play."
I briefly considered giving her a hard time, just so she could know how it felt. Then I decided I would be better off playing the "be a good example" card, so the next time she came up to check on me, I tucked my phone under the covers and closed my eyes.
She tiptoed into the room, came over to me, and kissed my elbow because she couldn't reach my face.
And I learned that sometimes a person, no matter how big or small, just needs an extra love to be able to relax.
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