Bedtime Wars...er um...Bedtime Woes...oh, um...I mean, Bedtime Memories

Ladies, I am having the most difficult time these nights with the lil one. For starters, he is not wanting to close eyes and sleep in the dark because he doesn't want to have bad dreams. He doesn't want to see the bear. I'm like, "What?! You've got to be kidding me!? When did all this begin, I asked myself. Well, regardless of how and when this started, the fact is that it is here and it is in full effect: He is afraid of the dark.

Bedtime has become a full on War and I then go into a Woe is Me mode the next morning when I am exhausted from getting to bed late. I am not at all trying to hear that this is normal. Normal? Not normal for me. I wasn't afraid of the dark. (Before you get upset with me, remember, I am the mom who has a hard time accepting the fact that my child is not me.)

So you know what his remedy for the situation? Me sleep with him. And you know, even though I say no, he finds his way in my bed. And then I wake up at the edge of the bed with arm cramps and muscle tension. Goodness! I have to find a way through this. I have to get some sleep. I think I am so concerned with what the Psychologists and Child Development and Jo from SuperNanny have to say about kids not sleeping in bed with Mom, I am being sleep deprived. I actually got a pass from a Doc I know who actually went through something similar with his son. He said something so practical: What harm is it to provide safety and nurture to your preschooler?

So for now, I think I'm going to side with sleep and have good Bedtime Memories than Bedtime Woes.

Sleeptight Moms,
Aurellia