Bedtime

I have a love-hate relationship with the last hours of our evening.  Putting an active two-year-old down for the night can be trying, at times, and downright exhausting at others.  It is the perfect example of my daily struggle between being too lenient and being too strict.  Do I read him one more book?  Or do I stick to my guns and turn out the lights?  What if he's teething and really just needs the extra comfort?  What if he napped late?  Or not at all?  Should I allow that to affect our bedtime routine?  What if his little nose is stopped up?  Do I give in and carry him around until he passes out?  Or do I insist that he stays in bed?

All these questions, and so many more, whirl through my head each evening.  Some nights, I try to enforce a strict  9:00 pm lights-out.  Other nights, like last night, I follow Miles' cues (to a certain degree) and let him stay up a bit longer in exchange for a happier toddler.

Last night, I played with him for fifteen minutes, read him two books, turned out the lights, sang two songs, and whispered good-night.  I was rewarded with a sleepy "Lubba Mom-mom" [love you, Mom-mom] and a child who went right to sleep.

Now, if only I could get to bed at a reasonable time instead of staying up trying to beat the next level of Angry Birds. :)