Bedtime Blues

I can remember back to when I used to rock my daughter to sleep at night, for literally hours. It was the only way she would fall asleep peacefully, and I considered it a small trade off, rather than listening to my precious firstborn's, blood-curdling screams. I can remember one night in particular, when I was nine months pregnant with my son. I remember hardly being able to fit my daughter on my lap, and her sliding down each time I made the rocking motion. And yet I still kept my little girl comfortable enough to get her to sleep(about two hours later). As I sat there rocking, I can remember reassuring myself that this wouldn't be forever, and that one day, I would actually miss these precious moments/hours, I had spent putting her to sleep. Yes, that memory crossed my mind tonight, as I lay half my body on a twin size bed and my head down on a strawberry shortcake pillowcase...directly next to...my FIVE year old daughter's head.

It's true, I have not yet been able to miss the memories of the exhausting efforts to get my children to sleep, because, the memories have yet to cease. The exhausting efforts have yet to cease. The blood curdling screams have also, yet to cease. I once heard someone say about potty training, "don't worry, it will happen, I mean nobody ever sent their kid to college in diapers, right?" I've tied that one right in with my own personal motto, "nobody ever had to rock their kids to sleep in college, did they?" The only problem is, I don't believe it. Either one of them. As of about twenty minutes ago, I wholeheartedly believe that there probably are some kids walking around UCLA in pampers, and just maybe those gliding chairs and ottomans in the dorms, aren't just for "movie nights."

I'm not here to tell you bedtime has been terrible with all my children. As most of you with more than one child know, you usually progress as a parent with each successive child, and typically don't make the same crucial mistakes you made with the first one. For instance, yes, my daughter prefers I lay down with her, just as she falls asleep, but my middle son, couldn't care less if I was even in the room with him. In fact, he couldn't care less if he was even sleeping on a pillow, or a bed for that matter. Now my baby has been a great sleeper thus far, of course he does need 3-5 binkys with him to even enter his crib, either that or some random item he picked up on his way upstairs. For example, this evening I laid him down with a small container of crayons...oh well, pick your battles, right?

Needless to say, I am confident that in due time, my little darlings will be marching up to their beds, and settling themselves to sleep all on their own. For now, I just learn how to contort my body to get comfortable sleeping on two inches of mattress, and as I lay there, I plan all of the things I will be able to do, when that glorious day comes.