Bedtime Battles
The other day I had an epiphany. "I'd better start liking bedtime," I wrote in my diary, "after all, by the rate things are going I'm going to be serving at this post for another 20 years."
OK, I exaggerate. My youngest is 6 weeks so I've got another 10 years of bedtime ahead of me? 12? Either way, I need to stop crying that I hate bedtime every night.
Literally crying.
Last night my husband was out during the joyous hour. At one point in the chaos of bedding down three big ones while holding a newborn I'd had enough. I tried "disengage". Clutching baby to my chest I closed the door to my bedroom, leaned against it and started sobbing, praying for success in The Bedtime Battles.
Tonight was the opposite side of the coin. The difference was dramatic! Oh sure, my throat was still sore at the end of it but thankfully that was caused by a different sort of screaming. It was Love Screaming.
The turnaround came after everyone was successfully bathed and readying for stories. The girls were clothed but the towel-clad child was testing out how far he could push his mother by asking his sisters to touch him.
I screamed.
And then I remembered, "put as much (or more) energy into positivity as you would negativity."
K, I made up that quote. But I figured that if we are supposed to be charging our children with positive vibes and connection then I should SCREAM an affirmation (hence the term 'Love Scream') just as loud as I would scream if things were going wrong.
And I did.
A mere two seconds later, there went Mother Banshee once again. Same tone, different words.
"OH WOW LOOK AT YOU WEARING YOUR SHIRT AND GETTING READY TO PUT ON YOUR PAJAMA PANTS!!!!!"
The kid flipped. Backtrack - he looked terrified when I started screaming "oh wow look at you" and took him a minute to realize this was a Love Scream aka affirmation. It was wild!
I had such fun that I kept screaming for the rest of bedtime.
I hollered, "YOU ARE SITTING ON YOUR BED"
when I normally would have screamed at the child to place her head on her pillow. And guess what? That's exactly what she did.
Truly a miraculous tool!
OK, I exaggerate. My youngest is 6 weeks so I've got another 10 years of bedtime ahead of me? 12? Either way, I need to stop crying that I hate bedtime every night.
Literally crying.
Last night my husband was out during the joyous hour. At one point in the chaos of bedding down three big ones while holding a newborn I'd had enough. I tried "disengage". Clutching baby to my chest I closed the door to my bedroom, leaned against it and started sobbing, praying for success in The Bedtime Battles.
Tonight was the opposite side of the coin. The difference was dramatic! Oh sure, my throat was still sore at the end of it but thankfully that was caused by a different sort of screaming. It was Love Screaming.
The turnaround came after everyone was successfully bathed and readying for stories. The girls were clothed but the towel-clad child was testing out how far he could push his mother by asking his sisters to touch him.
I screamed.
And then I remembered, "put as much (or more) energy into positivity as you would negativity."
K, I made up that quote. But I figured that if we are supposed to be charging our children with positive vibes and connection then I should SCREAM an affirmation (hence the term 'Love Scream') just as loud as I would scream if things were going wrong.
And I did.
A mere two seconds later, there went Mother Banshee once again. Same tone, different words.
"OH WOW LOOK AT YOU WEARING YOUR SHIRT AND GETTING READY TO PUT ON YOUR PAJAMA PANTS!!!!!"
The kid flipped. Backtrack - he looked terrified when I started screaming "oh wow look at you" and took him a minute to realize this was a Love Scream aka affirmation. It was wild!
I had such fun that I kept screaming for the rest of bedtime.
I hollered, "YOU ARE SITTING ON YOUR BED"
when I normally would have screamed at the child to place her head on her pillow. And guess what? That's exactly what she did.
Truly a miraculous tool!
LOVE this! "Put as much (or more) energy into positivity as you would negativity."
ReplyDeleteYes yes yes! Must remember this the next time I have to do bedtime.