We have had a bedtime routine in place since LG was a baby. Bedtime is my favorite part of the day with LG. I put her to bed nearly every night. It is my time to snuggle and love on her with no back talk, no fussing, etc.
As in many families, bedtime stories are a big part of our bedtime routine. LG has her favorites, of course, but they seem to go in cycles. For a month or so we had to read her book of Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes every single night. Last month, it was a Richard Scarry book from MY childhood.
Yes, there are nights when I can't fathom reading The Very Hungry Caterpillar one more time. Books are often put in the closet for a month or so to get them out of rotation because I get so sick of them. There are even nights when reading at all is too much.
On nights when reading is too much for me, we snuggle in her chair with the lights out and I tell her a story. It almost always has to include Curious George (she loves him) and one of her friends. I normally tell her about our day and incorporate George and her friends into it. If I miss a part of the day or remember something different than her, she is sure to correct me. I love that.
After stories are done, we turn off the lights and snuggle into her chair. LG curls up in my arms with her lovey and I sing to her. I usually sing her 2 songs. These songs are always changing although I do have some go-to songs when I can't seem to think of something new to sing.
I kiss her forehead and smell her sweaty hair. I relish in how much I love this little girl especially when she is loving me unconditionally at this time. I tell her how much I love her and she replies with the same. I watch how she rubs her lovey under her nose just like her Uncle did when he was little. I take it all in, every single night. It never gets old.
After our time together, I put LG in her bed and cover her up. She always asks for "one more song" and I agree. I sing Twinkle, Twinkle every night before saying goodnight. I am sure when she grows up she will hate the song after hearing it every night but for now it is what she wants to hear before drifting off to sleep.
I know soon she will be too big to snuggle in her chair with me. We will have to snuggle on her bed. The day will come when she doesn't need me to put her to bed or sing her songs. For now, I will try and love every moment of this time with my daughter. It is my favorite time of the day and I hope it is hers too.
This post was inspired by Lisa Garrigues' book Writing Motherhood. Check out other posts about this book at New Jersey Moms Blog.
Tuesday, June 17, 2008
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3 comments:
Its always amazing to me how parenting is so similar from family to family. We have almost the same routine with our girls. And a large stack of books hidden away in the closet that we've read far, far too many times. Right now, our two-year-old is stuck on the Bearenstain Bears series, so at least its not the Exact Same Book every night.
For the last couple weeks, Ainsley has taken to requesting what will be her bedtime song (she only gets one). The hard part? She will request a song that I don't know entirely. The scary part? She can tell me which lyrics I've missed.
And yet. The absolute best part of my day.
Bedtime is the one time that they are STILL and QUIET and want to be with you for a few minutes more, just to delay the sleeping... I try to relish it, as much as I can.
Hi, this is Lisa, author of Writing Motherhood. I'm guessing this post was inspired by a chapter in my book called "Bedtime Stories," in which I encourage mothers to tell stories to our children. Now, as the mother of teenagers nearly grown and gone, bedtime is no longer what it once was. We no longer tell stories, read books, sing lullabies, but we still value the time together. I'm glad my book is helping you chronicle some of your family's routines before they change, as they inevitably will. All best,
Lisa
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