I hope everyone had a good Monday. Well, as good as it could have been being that it was Monday and ridiculously cold! Right now it's 19 degrees is South Mississippi...That might seem like a slight chill in the air to some of you, but if it gets below 50 down here, we have our Snuggies on and our fireplaces lit up!
Anyway, I'd like to introduce you to this handsome devil....
This, Ladies and Gentlemen, is Mason Dale!
Mason is 2 1/2 years old and full of mischief (like any two year old is, I guess). This one came out of the womb small, meek, and calm. He was born 6 six early, weighing a whopping 4 lbs, which might explain his little demeanor. However, as he has grown, so has his voice, his curiosity, and his MESS! This kid is like a 24 lb wrecking ball (think Miley without the tongue and drug use and with clothes). He's at that age where he is hitting lots of little milestones. The latest one being transitioning to a toddler bed...
And this, y'all, is where the conundrum begins....
Mason's crib transitioned into a toddler bed. So, it's the same bed, just lowered and without one side. We decided a few days ago that it was time for him to start sleeping in a "big boy bed", so we took down the crib and introduced him to his "new" bed. He was excited and proud to be a "big boy". I was a little nervous about bedtime that night. I thought for sure he would be freaked out and not stay in his bed now that it was low to the ground and easy to get out of. I was pleasantly surprised when bedtime went just as smooth as usual. NO crying and NO climbing out of the bed. I went to bed feeling pretty accomplished and proud of myself (I was raising a child that deals with transition well). That is, until 8:30 the next morning when I heard "Momma! I'm up! Come get me out!" ...It was then I realized, I'm not SuperMom...Mason just hadn't realized that he could get right out of bed on his own. He was so used to being stuck in the crib until someone got him out. I walked down the hallway feeling somewhat defeated trying to figure out how to explain to him that he didn't have to wait for me anymore. Wait a minute...No ma'am! I decided not to tell him a thing! The longer he believed he couldn't get out of the bed by himself, the easier bedtime would go and the less likely we'd have a midnight visitor in our room. You can judge me if you want...chances are if you are judging me, you don't have children, and that just makes me giggle!
This ignorant bliss went on for a couple of days, until one day at naptime, Matt and I heard Mason's door open and watched him walk down the hallway with a big smile on his face. Matt and I looked at each other and new our evil plan had run its course. Dangit! He figured it out!
Since then, we've given the speech before every naptime or bedtime. "Mason, don't get out of your bed." Mason doesn't listen. The other day during naptime, I heard him in his room rummaging though his toys. I guess he thinks if the door is closed, I can't hear him. Anyway, he must not have been able to find the toy he was looking for, because I heard his bedroom door quietly open. I peeked around the corner and watched him stick his head out to see if anyone was looking. He thought the coast was clear...he took off running across the hall to his sister's room, dug through her toys, got the one he wanted, checked the hallway again, and ran back to his room. He shut the door behind him and continued to play what I think was a mix between Buzz Lightyear and Ariel for the next 30 minutes.
Needless to say, sleep has been a precious commodity around here lately. I've been stressed trying to figure out how to keep him in his bed at night. Do I ignore him when he cries? Do I just bring him straight back to bed?
Last night, though, I think I got my answer. He had been in bed about an hour. I was in a bubble bath (one that I had waited all day for) when I heard my bathroom door open and saw my little wrecking ball walk in. He was trying to be a big boy...I could see his bottom lip quiver as he looked at me and said, "I wanna rock"..I don't know what it is about your little boy trying not to cry, but I couldn't handle it! I hopped right out of that bath (who needs to shave their legs in the winter anyway?), put on my jammies, and brought that baby to his room and rocked him for at least 45 minutes. Did he play me? He sure did! Did he manipulate me? For sure! Did I let him win? Absolutely! Will he probably be walking in here any minute to do it to me again? You betcha!
But GUESS WHAT!! I don't care! That is my baby, and if he wants to rock with his momma, then that's what we'll do! One day too soon, he'll be embarrassed of me. He'll be too big and bad for his momma to love on him....So, I've decided I'm gonna take all the lovin' I can now! I might be tired and have a strong addiction to coffee and Diet Coke, but my son will know that WHENEVER he needs his momma, I'll be there...
I hope we can all find the balance between disciplining our children, but also knowing when to give them that extra bit of love. After all, it won't be like this for long...
With Love,
No comments:
Post a Comment