I love the kids' bedtime. I'm sure that's an understatement for most parents I know…who doesn't love that time when their little munchkins have finally packed it in and surrendered to blissful sleep? But I love my kids' bedtime for another reason - because of the time we get to spend together.
My kids (for the most part) have always been good about going to bed. Sure there's been the odd fight over what pjs to wear or over teeth brushing or "just five more minutes", but I'd have to say my kids have mostly been pretty stellar about nigh nigh time. Take Andrew for example. When he had his crib, all he needed was his water, a soother, and my teddy bear to go to sleep. Once he figured out how to climb out of his crib, this meant I had to lay down on our bed (his crib was in our room) until he fell asleep. Took about fifteen minutes. I enjoyed that time to just rest and relax, ponder about the day or upcoming events. I would lay there until I heard his breath take that turn where you know they've hit slumber. Since getting his big boy bed, he doesn't like to fall asleep in it. He just keeps climbing out (his big boy bed is still in our room). So, the solution to that was to put him to sleep in our bed. Again, I lay with him until he is asleep. For minutes after he is asleep, I lay and stare at his perfect little nose. I brush his curls away from his face. I stroke his eyebrows. I rub his back. I lay and just marvel at his beauty and perfection. The stresses of the day melt away as I look upon his cherub face. Peace at last.
Next up it's Katelyn's turn. When Andrew was sleeping in his crib, K was sleeping in our bed with me on the nights Mike worked. Then it grew into K and I sleeping together every night, whether Mike worked or not (Mike would sleep downstairs in the spare bedroom which is where he sleeps during the day since it's quieter down there). Since Andrew has now taken over our bed at bedtime, it means Katelyn has had to sleep back in her own bed. I'm happy with that because we had gotten away from reading bedtime stories and reading is beyond important in this household. Again, for K's bedtime, I lay with her until she is asleep. She likes to talk for a little while, sometimes I tell her a fantastic tale, I scratch her back, we pet Baby Kitty and then it's time to cuddle up and drift off to dreamland. As with Andrew, I lay with Katelyn after she is asleep. I brush her hair away from her eyes, rub her back, and just lay in wonder that I created this perfect little girl (well, almost perfect save for a few tantrums here and there). It's normally at this time that I say a quick prayer, thanking God for my healthy children and for giving me another day with them and for keeping them safe.
Bedtime is the one time my OCD isn't running rampant with thoughts of hurting my kids (bath time is a horrendous time for me but that's a whole other blog post). It's nice to just be at peace with them and enjoy the stillness of the evening. It's nice to be able to just lay in wonder with my little babies who are growing up too fast. I won't always be able to lay down with them so I'll cherish this time while I have it!
And so it goes...
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