anyone have one of these? a guide that helps you put your children to bed? because i need one. stat.
knock wood. poo poo poo. no jinxies. all that jazz. my Bellezilla is an expert when it comes to bedtime. an expert. at around 6 pm she starts rubbing her eyes. i drag her out as long as i can and then scoop her up. she says "night-night" to everyone. i throw her in her crib. give her a little smooch. turn off the light. and walk out the door. and usually we don’t hear from her until the morning. what a blessing she is.
and this brings us to thing #1 and thing #2. monsters at bedtime. monsters. and something needs to be done because the husband is working late every night for the next two weeks…which puts mommy on bedtime patrol every night. most nights i have the "bad cop" with me to lay down the law.
but they know. they know i’m the "good cop" and that they can push my buttons and i will crumble. sure, i may raise my voice a little and threaten to close doors and take away blankets. but i won’t. and they know it. i know what you’re thinking…it can’t be THAT bad. but, my friends, i can assure you. it can.
here’s a little rundown of how things went last night. day #1 of mommy in charge. and i swear…what you are about to read is completely TRUE. no exaggerations. at all. not even to make a better story. it’s all real.
7:15. i let them stay up an extra 15 minutes for Emily to watch the end of Cheetah Girls 2 and for Joshie to finish up his game on Nickjr.com. joshie brushes his teeth. emily has a "stomach ache". all of a sudden (mommy button #1 – PUSHED). into pajamas. no stories tonight because they chose to stay up the extra 15 minutes instead, "Please mommy, i NEEEEEEEEEEEEED a story. I love when we read stories together" (mommy button #2 – PUSHED). "Mama, you promised that i could read to you tonight." (mommy button #3 – PUSHED)
lights out. "I need my light on! i need my light on! i need my light on!" for ten minutes straight. (mommy button #4)
lights on. ten minutes. lights off. ten minutes later.
"Mommy, i think i am going to throw up." (mommy button #5 – PUSHED). I handed Emily a garbage can. call me if you puke.
"Mommy, i need my water bottle filled up." (#6)
"to the top." (#7)
"Mommy, i had a bad dream." (#8) but you haven’t gone to sleep yet, Josh. WHINE WHINE WHINE CRY CRY CRY WHINE WHINE (#9-15). lights on.
"If Josh’s lights are on, i want my lights on too." lights on.
i could keep going but i’ll end by telling you this. they were both wide awake when the husband came home. wide awake. bouncing off the walls. gee, i can’t wait to do this again tonight.
send help. please. i need nanny mcphee or something. or maybe i just need to learn to grow a pair and not let my kids make me their bitch.
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Thespian Emma Thompson has declared that her character Nanny McPhee has a lot in common with Clint Eastwood’s westerns…. rides into town, sorts out the villains, rides off into the sunset. Maybe this follow-up should have been titled ‘For a Few Nannies More’!
I feel for you. Julia takes a *lot* of pampering to go to sleep. Stories, snuggles, trips to the bathroom, drinks of water…usually what happens is I dump a load of books in her bed, tell her she can read until she falls asleep and call it a night. There’s only so much I can do, you know? LOL!
Well, we only have one small one to deal with (5 yr old) .. the others are 13 and 15 .. and I know that they band together and it makes it harder.
But I also see a clear distinction between how dh puts Scott to bed and how I do. Generally when dh does – he falls asleep about oh .. 8:30 .. when I do .. oh, about 7:15! Same routine every night works – also, small requests may on case-by-case be granted. But filling water bottles .. to the top lol, nope. If you are thirsty, make your way thru that dark hall and get yourself a drink from the tap .. that usually stops it! But seriously, I will always use a ‘fun’ thing to get him in bed, plus consequences if he is not ‘conforming’. Oh .. you are not going into bed now .. then 2 stories instead of 3 (I’m generous lol) .. the fun .. a bribe – if you brush your teeth and get your p.j’s on …then we will play one round of such and such game. I know it is harder with two … but consistency and fun and consequences .. will work!!
Good luck …
Grrr, another attack on the full-time working mom…AGAIN…I am so jack of it, myself..
Anyway, onto the issue of the day: well, I won’t be much help here. The Randa-Veranda is an excellent sleeper like Bella so she either falls asleep on the lounge or I put her in her cot at 7:15 p.m. and she is OUT. The boys are another matter – it isn’t so much that they won’t GO to sleep, it is that they won’t GO to sleep in THEIR OWN BEDS…Have tried everything: bribes, books, DVD’s, singing, cuddling, nada, woof, bang, 3 a.m. and they are in bed with me…
Having said that, they are pretty much out for the count for 8’ish most nights, otherwise, I don’t fight it and let them stay up with me (and they/one of them inevitably falls asleep somewhere).
Can you try getting them out of bed earlier in the morning? I kick mine out at 6:30 latest as I leave for work at 7 a.m. so have found that helps somewhat.
LOL! This is adorable!!! Oh… sorry. I have that Nanny 911 book. I think (based on Nanny’s principles) you just need to, as you put it, grow some big ones — like Nanny 911. Just given them choices ahead of time? Like: either 15 minutes or book. And, stick to that. Like, lay down the law before bedtime?? What do I know, though. My cheaty little monkey is a fab sleeper — just like Bella. But, then again, I am the (nice) “bad cop” over here…. 😉
No, not an attack. A thought.
of course they want attention, they are kids. but, in order to function, my kids need sleep.
i work until 4. and trust me, my kids get plenty of attention from me.
i seriously hope that wasn’t an attack on me.
Maybe they just want your attention. You work all day, right?
Well, I am probably the worst possible person to be giving advice on sleep. My kids are NOT good sleepers. However, when I do have solo bedtime duty I find the best way to get them to sleep is by letting them sleep together. On a special night I put the DVD player on for 30minutes and they have a movie night. If it is a school night we all read together and then it is lights out at regular bed time and they actually do very well.
Worth a try…maybe?