Unexpected Advice

As I have mentioned before, bedtime with Matthew lately has been unsuccessful to say the least. Most of the problem has been the inconsistency of our life lately, especially regarding naps and nighttime schedules. I have been going back and forth every day about what I should do. Do I just not care any more and let him go to bed whenever and throw structure out the window? Or do I stick to my guns and just fight through the wailing until he realizes who is boss and that bedtime is here to stay? One night we put Matthew to bed and he kept getting out like usual. Through his wailing he woke Koyle up, which is quite a feat because Koyle can sleep through a lot. Anyways, I was holding Koyle downstairs and Justin was up trying to get Matthew to stay in bed. My dad suggested that I read some books to him. I agreed that was probably a good idea; reading books before nap is really the only way to calm him down enough to get him to lay in bed and go to sleep. But we read scriptures before bed, and the way things have been going it is always late by the time we get to bedtime anyways, and I am exhausted so the thought of having to sit and read books to Matthew did not sound appealing. My dad reminded me how my parents used to read to us every night before we went to sleep. So my dad said, "Go up and read him a book, Cris." "I don't want to go read him a book though," I said. Seriously? That was the best I could come up with. I felt pretty guilty about that for a few days. I could hear my parents voice in my head saying since when do we get to do what we want? And what would be easier, having bedtime routine take a little longer because we read books, or fighting him all night to go to sleep? Long story short, my dad went up and read some books to Matthew. It was very cute and Matthew calmed down. As I sat thinking about it that night I realized the truth of what my dad had said. He is just a little boy and can't be expected to just lay down and go to sleep every night. (Although he used to be able to do it, but given the circumstances, I will cut him some slack.) I was being selfish and making Matthew cry every day just because I was too lazy or too tired to help him feel calm and loved. So my new goal is to make bedtime a pleasant experience for all involved. I am still not going to let him stay up all hours of the night, but with a little planning and effort on my part mixed with love and patience, hopefully we can make bedtime a time where many memories are created. Good memories that is, not bad ones. And speaking of bedtime I saw this sign the other day and want to make one for my house:   "It is one of life's bitterest truths that bedtime so often arrives just when things are really getting interesting"