Bedtime Battles

Back in November and December we switched the boys to toddler beds.  They have done surprisingly well with the transition and seem to enjoy their little bit of freedom.  In the morning they get up and quietly read books while sitting in their chairs waiting for someone to come in to start the day.  Nap time has still been consistent, they lay right down and are typically sleeping within minutes.  

Most nights they lay down and go to sleep with one or both of us in the room without much trouble.

And then there are nights like tonight when they decided it was time to play and sing and yell to one another.  It is hard not to get frustrated in moments like that.  Tonight we said ok, wind down on your own, and we left the room.  Well apparently Ryder thought he was never going to see us again because he had an ultimate meltdown screaming and banging on the door.  I couldn't leave him in there behaving like that, it breaks my heart to hear my children in distress like that!  

I went back in after a few minutes and tried again.  Ry laid down and wanted me to pat him.  After telling the other two boys to find their beds I settled in next to Ryder.  A few moments later I had Daniel in my lap snuggled in tight and Garrett lying on a pillow next to me.  I just leaned back on Ry's bed with one hand on him, one on Garrett and my head resting on Daniel's head and thought, wow I am so incredibly blessed to be their momma.  It is so easy to get frustrated when they won't just go to sleep, but if they had tonight I would have missed out on an opportunity to love on my boys.  My boys who just wanted to be close to their mommy.  I need to savor moments like this, because in a blink of an eye, they won't want me to cuddle with them anymore.

So to those of you who are currently going through the frustrations of transitioning to "big kid" beds, remember this is just another phase, they will eventually get the hang of it and sometimes all they want is to have mommy or daddy close by while they drift off to sleep.  So cherish those moments... Even the ones where you want to pull your hair out because they don't stay toddlers forever!