Trust and Toddlers
When I started staying home with Abby back in May I decided to "take naps with her*" on "mommy's" bed. I did this because I remember doing this with my Mom on the weekends as a kid. I know I used to fight it (just like Abby does) but overall I really liked taking naps with Mom. I stopped taking naps with Abby on mommy's bed around the time Morgan was born. For no particular reason. Yesterday was the first day in a long time that she napped on my bed . . . but I left her there before she fell asleep (which I have done before no problem) she slept for 3 hours and didn't cause trouble.
Today she requested "mommy's bed" at nap time. I agreed. We did our usual pre-nap book reading extravaganza. I put her down and left her. With my usual warning that this was a "treat" and if I had to come up because she was "postponing" bedtime I would put her in her bed. I have only ever had to put her in her bed one time and as you might suspect she threw a tantrum. But she has to learn that she doesn't always get what she wants AND I have to stay firm and consistent with my threats or she wont believe/trust me.
So today I thought I put Abby down for a nap in "mommy's" bed (usually on Jason's side) about an hour ago... boy was I wrong and too trusting. I just went up about 15 min ago because I heard her talking and she had gotten out of the bed (which she NEVER does, not even hers in the morning) and found one of Jason's highlighters in his nightstand. Not just any highlighter though it was one with sticky flags in it... and had pulled them all out and drawn on our bed and on herself and her blanket. Argh! She was pretty tired when I put her down for her nap so I thought I was safe leaving her to check on Morgan and pay bills. Plus she was being quiet, so I didn't pay much attention.
I don't know whither to be amused, pissed off, or indifferent. She wasn't horribly coated in markings and stickers her poor yellow knit blanky on the other hand was coated in about 30 of them. Did I mention they were yellow stickies. Those suckers were hard to find in their yellowy camo!
So now I will be more wary of letting her be in any area of the house alone, unless asleep, for any length of time. *sigh* I think it may be the toddler bed for nap time for a while. Because with an infant I can not always stay up there with her especially when he deems that hour as feed me hour.
*Most of the time I would get up (like my mom did) before her, after a brief nap, or no nap at all because I waited for her to fall asleep.
Today she requested "mommy's bed" at nap time. I agreed. We did our usual pre-nap book reading extravaganza. I put her down and left her. With my usual warning that this was a "treat" and if I had to come up because she was "postponing" bedtime I would put her in her bed. I have only ever had to put her in her bed one time and as you might suspect she threw a tantrum. But she has to learn that she doesn't always get what she wants AND I have to stay firm and consistent with my threats or she wont believe/trust me.
So today I thought I put Abby down for a nap in "mommy's" bed (usually on Jason's side) about an hour ago... boy was I wrong and too trusting. I just went up about 15 min ago because I heard her talking and she had gotten out of the bed (which she NEVER does, not even hers in the morning) and found one of Jason's highlighters in his nightstand. Not just any highlighter though it was one with sticky flags in it... and had pulled them all out and drawn on our bed and on herself and her blanket. Argh! She was pretty tired when I put her down for her nap so I thought I was safe leaving her to check on Morgan and pay bills. Plus she was being quiet, so I didn't pay much attention.
I don't know whither to be amused, pissed off, or indifferent. She wasn't horribly coated in markings and stickers her poor yellow knit blanky on the other hand was coated in about 30 of them. Did I mention they were yellow stickies. Those suckers were hard to find in their yellowy camo!
So now I will be more wary of letting her be in any area of the house alone, unless asleep, for any length of time. *sigh* I think it may be the toddler bed for nap time for a while. Because with an infant I can not always stay up there with her especially when he deems that hour as feed me hour.
*Most of the time I would get up (like my mom did) before her, after a brief nap, or no nap at all because I waited for her to fall asleep.
posted by Ginger at
1:54 PM
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