For our household bedtime seems to bring chaos and meltdowns rather than peace and quiet. Tonight was no different. Doodlebug was not happy about having to miss out on his evening video. So we marched upstairs and laid down. He seemed to be okay with how things were going until he yelled out, "My eyes are watering." I simply told him that he was tired and needed to go to sleep. That didn't help him though and he said, "No there's something wrong." I'm starting to get a little more panicked at the point, but trying to stay calm. So I asked him what the problem was and he calmly says, "I didn't get to watch a video before bed. This is what happens when I don't watch a video." I tried to contain myself, but burst into laughter at his shenanigans.
So after that little detour, I thought Doodlebug had finally calmed downed and was almost asleep until he blurts out, "Mom. I want to have a talk. Let's talk about germs from the beginning." I'm thinking, "How far back do you want to go little man, Biblical times?" At this point it seemed we were never going to sleep so I made a deal that we could discuss germs in detail tomorrow morning for as long as he felt it was necessary. That seemed like a good idea for him he rolled over and soon after fell asleep.
That kid never ceases to amaze me in the detours he creates so he doesn't have to go to sleep. During the day, there is never any indication, but once we say, "Ok, it's time to go upstairs." the melodrama begins. Suddenly, he's thirsty or hungry, then he has to go to the bathroom, then the blankets are right and the pillows are too flat, it's too hot so he has to get undressed to be comfortable. The list goes on and on even to the point of complete ridiculousness. We let him talk for a while, but once we've had enough he gets the shutdown signal, the lights go off. Sometimes it works and sometimes it doesn't, but at least he knows he's going to have less and less of a chance to stay awake. Once he's all tucked and comfy it doesn't take long for sleep to kick in. It's just that initial push to get him ready for sleep lasts quite a while.
Luckily, for me he fell asleep fairly quickly and hasn't woken up. I'm hoping he sleeps in for a bit in the morning too just so I can get a good round of sleep myself. I'm hoping Doodlebug gets that great affinity for sleep that so many others do, including myself. I love sleep and really look forward to bedtime each day. Maybe through practice and repetition I can teach Doodlebug the importance of a good night's sleep too. Or he may relish in the grief he gives me while I put him to sleep each night.
