Bedtime Beast

Audrey has been a handful at bedtime lately, and it has started to really wear me down.When I tuck her in at night, I make sure she has gone potty and gotten a drink of water. I make sure her three blankets are placed exactly how she has to have them and she has two ice packs (we've talked her down from three). I make sure she gets plenty of hugs and kisses. I remind her not to yell for me for anything and that if she goes to bed without yelling for me, she will get a special treat the next day.

It never works.

Inevitably, she yells for me because she needs her blankets spread out again. Then she needs to go potty again. Then she needs another kiss. Then she can't find her SpongeBob ice pack. Then she needs her blankets spread again. Each time I go in there and sternly tell her how angry and disappointed I am that she is being so naughty and we won't get a special treat.

Then she laughs.

Luckily, Lydia sleeps through it all. Audrey's requests are usually brief and simple. A few nights ago, when she couldn't find her Elmo ice pack, I told her we would have to wait until morning, which threw her into hysterics and I let her cry until Jayson came home about half an hour later and found it for her. I wanted to see what would happen if I did just refuse to succumb to her requests. I got my answer. She will throw a crying fit that will outlast my patience.

Just last night, she ruined her special treat, which was going to be camping in the backyard. On my second trip back into her room, I told her we would not camp in the back yard this week, and she told me, "We'll talk about this later."

I really wouldn't even mind all that much if I didn't have stuff to do. I have things I would like to finish around the house, an unfinished sewing project downstairs, and I do need to do some lesson plans, despite it being July. Plus, once school resumes, I will have at least an hour of work each night to do after she's sleeping.

So, we will continue to work on shortening the routine and limiting the trips back into her room. And we WILL talk about this later.