Sunday, July 25, 2010

Bedtime

I remember when I just had one child that my neighbor who had 2 would baffle me as she let her life be run by her childrens' nap schedule and bedtime. She would say, "The Schedule, The schedule, you NEED the Schedule." I didn't get it. "where was her freedom?"I would think as my husband and I took our child on walks while he slept and out to dinner while he slept and to the movies while he slept. Then I had my second child and I got it. Freedom was getting them to sleep at the same time so that I could have a moment to myself. Freedom became getting them to nap at the same time so I could get a shower, go to the bathroom, make a phone call. And now with five it is a little of both. While on our recent vacation I was super thankful that my 2 yr old could sleep on the go and get his nap in at the waterpark while everyone else was enjoying the slides. I was thankful that since he could sleep in the car on the way to dinner, he would perk up just in time to eat. I quite appreciated his ability to climb into bed at any hour with any one of his siblings and fall asleep for the night. However we are home now, and tonight I am listening to a screaming 2 yr old who forgot about his routine of climbing into his OWN bed and just falling asleep after 2 books, some goodnight prayers and a lullaby. His brother, Jack (9), can't take it and won't stop coming into our bedroom begging to go sleep with him to quiet him. But I just know that if we back down now, tomorrow night will be even harder. (Besides, I've already gone back in there like 3 times.) Time to remember "The Schedule." However I only have like a five minute window of strength, so hopefully he quiets down in the next five minutes, or I will be sabotaging the whole thing.

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