Victory? I'll Take It.

(Originally posted on my FB on January 27, 2016)

Tonight at bedtime, Goose plugged her ears during the prayer, turned her head when I kissed her cheek, crossed her arms when I gave her a hug, and started whining and crying the moment I stepped away from her bed. Sensing an impending tantrum, I immediately laid down on her floor and "fell asleep".

Sure enough, she announced she was getting out of bed. When I didn't respond, she obnoxiously crawled out of bed. She said, "I'm leaving the room", and, after waiting a few seconds, she stomped out of the room. (I could hear her cute little feet stomping around the hall. I think she might literally have been stomping in circles outside her door.) A few minutes later, she stomped back in and said, "Fine. I'm getting back into bed but first I'm turning the light on." After waiting for me to argue, she turned the light on and stomped back to bed.

And then she waited.

I was 'still asleep'.

Finally, she whispered, "Mom. I'm back in bed. May you please come tuck me in again?"

I looked up - surprised, of course, because I had 'been asleep' - and yawned. "Oh! I'd be happy to! But I tuck people in when the light is turned off and they are silently in bed." Naturally, I fell back asleep.

Sometimes I feel like I'm failing at this parenting thing. But when she tiptoed to the light, turned it off, tiptoed over to me and said, "I'm sorry for being rude, Mommy", and then silently climbed into bed... I thought, "Hmmm. Maybe I'm doing okay after all."

Small, but it was a victory. Gotta take 'em where you can get 'em.