Parenting brings new perspectives and new thoughts and emotions. OK, we knew that. But I never would’ve guessed that when I first became a parent, one day I would think it OK to lock my children in their bedroom. That’s right, I said lock them in. What in the world would possess Mommy and Daddy to do this?
Bedtime. This word either brings peaceful thoughts or anxious emotions to parents. To my husband and I, it always brought peace and quiet. My husband and I worked like a well-oiled machine. We had the routine down -- bathtime, brush teeth, story time, turn on music,
goodnight kisses. Things were going smoothly.
Until around the age of 2 or 3 (for both my kids), when we all of a sudden found ourselves exhausted, feeling defeated by the time we fought our way downstairs after an hour or so of our “bedtime routine.”
What happened? Our children entered that wonderful age of pushing limits and testing. We were getting up about five to 10 times on any given night to tuck someone back into bed. While one of us had to get someone their second glass of water, the other one was (in a stern
voice of course -- or maybe a tired exhasperated voice?) reassuring the younger child that he already went potty three times and didn’t have to go anymore.
We quickly realized that for our sanity as well as our marriage (this was sacred time), we had to make some changes. So, we reestablished the bedtime routine. I had learned that children crave routine, and when it is established, they thrive. We knew that from the earlier days when things were going smoothly. Once again we had our nightly ritual. But our little angel was still coming out of his room. So, we did the unthinkable. We turned the doorknob on his door the other way so the lock was on the outside, and after given fair warning, we pushed that little button till it clicked, and we were free!
Of course with that feeling of freedom came guilt, then it quickly turned to anger when he began banging on his door! But after a night or two, bedtime quickly calmed down and once again became sweet relief.
