By Christmas Break the shit hit the fan. We had to sit in her room for an hour or so at night for her to fall asleep, then no one was allowed to make any noise for the rest of the evening. She would wake up 2, 4, 78 times each night and start screaming. She was afraid of the dark, being alone, her investment strategies. I don't operate well without sleep and I kind of had a nervous breakdown. Bud and I agree in Parental Theory, not so much practice. If a child is sick I will tend to them as long as needed, grumpily, but it still counts. However, once I start feeling manipulated, I am done. I think the dimmer lights on halfway, the mushroom nightlight, the ladybug nightlight and the hall light are enough. We had put the baby gate at her doorway, same as for her older siblings. But she would just kick that bad boy down like a cop sweeping a drug den. Eventually, I told Bud we just had to be tough and lock her in...I know, I know but seriously I can't do my job with no sleep. (or drive, be nice to people) Bud agreed in words, but not in deeds. Then he said he didn't think it would work anyway. Then one day I lost my mind and started crying in her room from 3:00 am until 4:00 am, she was also keeping Maddie awake all night and a 5 year old shouldn't be complaining to her friends about not getting enough rest.
Finally, we did it and it was freaking awful. She cried all night, I cried all night. But the next night she promised not to cry if we kept the door open. And she kept her word. But she was still waking up at 4:30. Honestly, how is a toddler suppose to know when it is ok to get up? Sometimes they get up when it is dark (6:00) and its fine, sometimes the get up when its dark (3:30) and it is NOT! OK! Enter the most expensive clock ever:
(from amazon)
We set the night light for 7:00 pm and it is yellow, at a time we determine (5:30 we'll change later) it turns green. So we remind her every night when the clock is yellow stay in bed, when it's green you can tell us it is morning. So far we have used it for a week, and she has done well. She woke up a few mornings, and we could hear her playing until it turned green. Not ideal, but an improvement. One morning she slept until 6:15, I nearly made out with the clock. So as most things with a kid every solution has many parts, and some of those are expensive.
OH, and she is sick again, with a hacking cough. That totally won't eff up the program we have going.
2 comments:
We bought one of those damn expensive clocks too, for the boys' room. They were getting up earlier and earlier and driving us crazy. But yes, the clock is the best thing ever.
I hope Ellie's cough doesn't amount to much this time.
It's so awful when they sleep well and then TURN on you. Maria and Veronica share a room and it sucks because one always wakes up the other. I would like to get a clock like this but I'm going to have to wait until I feel confident they won't destroy it, I would hate to see that money go right down the drain.
We lock our kids in their rooms, if it makes you feel better. The girls' room is at the very top of the stairs and I am always worried if they wandered out and turned left instead of right, down they'd go. With our oldest, gates never worked, we thought about chopping the door in two, and then we decided a hook and eye lock would be cheaper and less trouble. I am wishing sleepy nights for you and yours!
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