Bliss

Night time lately has been just that.....pure bliss. 

And when I say bliss, I mean knock your socks off, both kids in bed by 8pm and asleep shortly after that good times a coming bliss.  Can you tell I am ecstatic!  
It's been five years people.  I have shared my bed for 5 years with at least one child.  One kicking, hitting, rolling around and pulling the covers off kid.  Lots of nights, times two. 

Now, in case you were wondering how....I will let you in on my secret......

First....get good and pissed.  It will help later in the process. 

Next, take the kid that's the worst, and put that one in his/her bed.  Tuck them in.  Say night night, time for bed.  A routine doesn't hurt here either.  We do snack/drink, 5 minute warning, bathroom, story then bed.

Now sit.  Right next to the bed.  At first the child will try to talk to you.  Ignore it.  This is key and will be your best friend during this process.  The power to tune it out.  Whatever you do, do not answer.  You are there in just body, not mind.

Next, the child will get angry.  He/She may scream and cry.  Even throw insults out like, "Get out of my room you idiot Mommy!" 

Ignore it. 

Maybe he/she begins to jump up and down in their bed.  Throw a pillow at you.  Even take a toy gun and toss it at your head.  It hurts, but don't show the pain.  Grimace inwardly. 

Ignore. Ignore.  Ignore.   And this is about the time you need to be good and pissed.  That bump on your head was actually a blessing in disguise.  It helps your stamina.  Plus, plugging your ears with your fingers helps.  

After the throwing subsides, you will notice the little imp begin to get tired and lay down.  Maybe even fetch the blanket and pillow and cover themselves up. 

And after a few more minutes, he/she is asleep.  

Now, you can leave.  Get a glass of wine.  Prozac.  Whatever helps. 

The next night?  Do it again.  But beware, they are onto you, so you really need to be on your game.  The fits get worse on the second night.  Don't give in, and believe me, you will want to.  45 minutes of pure screaming will do that to a person.  Fingers in your ears works here once again.  

By the third night?  All will be good in your world.  This night I took my book in and sat for maybe 15 minutes.  No screaming.  No talking.  Nothing.   Just rolled over and went to sleep.  

And each night thereafter was the same.  After about a week, I no longer needed to sit.  Just tucked in, talked for a couple minutes and off I went.  

What's even better?  Because you fixed the worst kid first, the other child gets to hear all the screaming.  And since it's behind closed doors, they have no idea what the hell is going on.  Thus, that child just rolls over and goes to sleep just to avoid whatever they thought happened to the first one. 

Genius I tell you.  

Comments

[Katia / Crazy for trying]

awesome.

[Deanna]

LOL at the "And since it's behind closed doors, they have no idea what the hell is going on."

I figure we'll cross this bridge this coming year. I have an almost two year old that hasn't figured out that he can climb out of his crib yet. That'll change soon I'm sure.

And that bump on your head that resulted from the airborn toy? Yeah, that's what I call my "piss-me-off" spot. There's a shelf over our dryer that happens to hit that spot every now and then as I'm standing back up from emptying all the clothes into the basket.

[Stacie's Madness]

kudos.
Super Nanny would congratulate you!

[lora]

also, like Karen said, you did exactly the right thing.

It's so hard for parents (me) to get past the "but mommy I love you, I need you, you're my best friend, you're so beautiful" ploy that comes before the kicking and screaming.
But once you do, your life is golden

[lora]

genius, indeed!

[karen]

I was a child care provider for 30 years, and always had parents asking for my advice on how to get their child to sleep in their own bed at night. I told them to do exactly what you just described, but not one single parent ever followed through. Congratulations on a job well-done!