Last Updated on May 8, 2018
Yeah…so…I’ve NEVER had children that go to bed beautifully. You know that whole thing about sleep like a baby? Doesn’t happen at my house. Not one person at my house sleeps like a baby or any other creature that supposedly sleeps well.
Seriously why can’t children just GO TO BED??? They either don’t go to bed easily or they wake up in the middle of the night or they wake up WAY too early! Does no one in my family require sleep but me?
I believe my children have some sort of pact. They meet while I’m making lunches to plan that night’s strategy.
‘OK whose turn is it to be incredibly difficult at bedtime?” asks the teenage son.
“We have this! We’ve mastered the 2 hour bedtime ritual,” spoken confidently by the preschoolers.
“What’s your plan?”
“Same as always. First, get as much water on the bathroom floor as possible. Then pull about 3 large towels into the tub and get into a fight complete with hair pulling and screaming,” shared preschooler A.
“Then we’ll cry because we can’t find the right pj pants, followed by requests for bananas, drinks of water, and extra prayers. There will definitely be fighting over whose bed Mommy sits next to first, and maybe even a complete hysterical meltdown just for the heck of it,” pronounced Preschooler B.
“Sounds good. Who has the late night wake-up covered?”
“I got it. I’ve watched enough creepy cartoons to give me nightmares. I’ll be going in about 1:00 am – right about when she finally falls into a deep sleep. I’m thinking I might wake her up again about 5 am so she can start her day earlier than planned,” the preteen responded with self-assurance.
“Awesome. Anything else?”
“Yeah. I think I’m gonna want to have a heart to heart at about 11:30 pm. Should mess up her bedtime pretty good,” declared the teenage daughter.
“Looks like everything is covered. Have a good night everyone!”
Yeah. My children are professional sleep deprivation specialists. The funny thing is I love those late night chats…and I don’t want anyone else to comfort my children in the middle of the night, and actually early mornings are pretty great once I get up – an extra hour or two allows me to get more done! That’s always a good way to start the day.
So, now if I could just get my preschoolers to fall asleep at bedtime things would be dandy. Thankfully, they are awfully cute and I do love them very much. I guess a little “extra” time with them at the end of the day is kind of precious – if it weren’t for all the fussing (me and them).
I know there will be a day when I’ll miss all the interruptions – as difficult as that is to believe. I suppose I’ve survived this long on 6 minutes of sleep a day, what’s another couple of years??
Sue Birdseye is an author and communicator who shares the adventures she has on her unexpected journey of single parenting. She went from the typical “picket fence” kind of life to being a single mom to five beautiful children. She has learned what it means to be totally dependent upon the Lord and how beautiful that dependence is. Her change of life circumstances has led to a passionate desire to encourage and bless other moms no matter their life circumstances. She has been active in her community as a foster/adoptive mom and public school teacher. She has also been part of her church’s worship, discipleship, women’s, and children’s ministries. She is an avid book reader, a game night hoster, and an early morning writer. Her book “When Happily Ever After Shatters” is the story of how God stepped into her life and the lives of her children just when everything seemed to be falling apart. She hopes that her writing will encourage, bless, and maybe even make someone smile.
Hahahaha! Sue, the run down of your night time “routine” was hysterical and I am only laughing because I have been there. Just two nights ago my 3 year old pulled a towel off of the hanger (handly in arms reach of the tub) and decided she should play with it in the tub. She will also have frequent meltdowns over hair combing or how many and what books we should read. Thanks for sharing, it helps know that I am not alone.
Thank you for sharing too! It’s always a blessing to know that someone understands my life!
How many hours should a person sleep?