Just Say I Love You
A Conversation About Bedtime Cleverness
Picture this: a fun, peaceful night with our little family ending with our typical bedtime routine of pajamas, brushed teeth, put little brother to bed with a bedtime song and then bed for the three-year-old. We go in her room,read her story, turn off the light, sing her song, tell her “you are kind, you are smart, you are important, you are brave, you are strong, you’re amazing, you’re mom’s good girl, and I love you soooo much!” Then, I tuck her in say good night and I love you. “Nailed it,” I think to myself. Think again! “Mom, I need one more kiss.” I give her a kiss. “Mom I need a hug.” I give her a hug. “Mom I need a drink of water.” Joke’s on her I brought a water bottle with me! “ Mom I need to go potty.” I say, “You just went potty right before we came in here.” She says, “ I have to go poop.” Curses! I can’t deny that! What if she really does? Of course she didn’t have to, but I wasn’t going to find out the hard way!
Lately, my brilliant three-year-old won’t respond when I tell her that I love her as I exit her bedroom. And then she will yell, “I didn’t say love you!!” I say, “Ok, go ahead and say it.” She will then sit on the edge of the bed , but when I try to leave she will yell, “I didn’t say love you!” I think to myself, Just say I love you, but I try to be patient. Keyword-TRY! Some nights it is SO frustrating, but there are times where I think that my daughter won’t always want me to give her lots of kisses and hugs at bedtime. There will be a time where she doesn’t need me to sing her the sunshine song. There may also be a time where she really won’t want to say I love you (I hope not!), so I try to cherish these moment when she wants me close and take it in every time she says, “Mom I need you.”
There are so many nights I want to just put the kids to bed so I can have some alone time. Most nights as soon as I put them to bed I find myself missing them! What is this push and pull with motherhood, where I/we need some independence, but always feel guilty as soon as we get it?! I find myself constantly thinking about them and when I’m not with them I feel like something is missing. I always say I am going to leave them alone after I put them down for bed, but without fail, I always have to sneak back in for one more sleepy kiss. Although my three-year-old has turned into a master of bedtime cleverness, every night she makes me feel loved, wanted, and needed. Although I think I may pass out from being exhausted some nights, I love getting one more kiss and I love you from her. After talking about my bedtime predicaments with a friend, she send me the meme above that pretty much sums up my life.
I know some of you moms are with me on this one!!
Thanks for reading.
-Jordyn
PS after writing this post I have become enlightened!! Honestly, I found a book that is the gem of all gems. Stay tuned for my next post on the book I just read called: The Conscious Parent by Shefali Tsabary, PhD. Seriously you aren’t going to want to miss this post!!
Tomorrow, Jennica will share her “Bed-Time Trick That Really Works!!” This is something I will be implementing immediately! Stay tuned for her great solution to bedtime cleverness!
What are some tips and tricks you use at bedtime? Join our conversation and share some funny (or not so funny) bedtime stories with us!
