Instead of putting the kids to bed, I was hiding in the bathroom reading Parenting magazine. I read "Hungry for Control," an article about the increasing prevalence of eating disorders among mothers. The article contained a list of warning signs, including "You're overly controlling about the way your kids play and eat." HA! Not me! No Wrestling on Sunday is one of our house rules, but the boys were wrestling in the living room, while Lisy was wandering around who-knows-where, and I was stealing a quiet minute for myself.
So the point is that I am not a controlling mother. I don't have an eating disorder, either.
Benjamin napped today, which means he wasn't tired at bedtime. He's really good about going through our nighttime routine with his brother and sister, but then he comes out of his bedroom, saying "Ee-ee a'eep (Lisy asleep). And 'ammy a'eep (Sammy asleep). And I still awake!" What can I do? I let him stay up. He is so sweet at night, when he doesn't have to be the middle child, and he just wants "to be with oo, Mom." I include him in whatever I'm doing, be it cleaning or computer time, and he always goes back to bed without a fuss.
See? I'm not controlling at bedtime either, so I can enjoy these moments with my son.
2 comments:
That's one thing I love about summer. Everything is okay. You want to stay up to ten. That's okay. You want to wear your jammies all day. That's okay. You want to go swimming until you turn into a prune. That's okay. I don't have to be anywhere or make my kids do anything. It's lovely. Who needs to be a control freak when there's so much more fun stuff to do?
I absolutely agree. Summer is relaxing. And besides, who wants to do much of anything in the heat?
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