One of my favorite things about going to bed at night is that my 3 year old usually comes to bed with me. My 3 year old goes to bed later at night so that he will sleep in later to allow my husband a little bit more rest. My husband works an odd shift. It's a different schedule, but it actually works pretty well most of the time.
At night, Chase and I head to bed together most of the time. Chase is potty-trained now ... he was by far the easiest to "train" ... and so he usually goes to bed in a t-shirt and undies. He lays down in my husband's spot, and when my husband gets home and is ready for bed, he moves Chase to his own room and bed. (We tried getting Chase to sleep in his own bed all night through, but it was a difficult battle, and it broke my heart to see him so sad ... this way makes us both happy.)
Chase cuddles up right next to me. Usually he talks to me for a while before I remind him that we really need to get some sleep, and then he settles into sleep rather quickly. There is a night light in his room, and he has to have it on, but in my room he insists on wanting the door nearly shut, even though it blocks the glow coming from his room and puts us in nearly full darkness. He feels safe with us. I love that. Chase's chatter is soft-spoken at bed-time, and he tells me about what he did that day, or his dreams, or his shows that he loves so much.
I love to lay there and listen to him and cuddle with him. I try to remember if I did this with the other two kids, but I can't remember. I have a horrible memory. In fact, I was going to remember the story Chase told me last night. I wasn't going to forget it, but I already have. I wonder if I will ever remember it?
I've been enjoying these moments even more since reading about Layla Grace and her battle with Neuroblastoma, which may soon be at an end, though of course we all hope and pray for a miracle. Layla's mother wrote recently about her regrets, and she's right that it's easy to wish the time we have with our children away ... and that we would want it back so badly if something as awful as this were to happen to a child of ours.
So, I guess what I'm getting at tonight (in a probably rambling and not well written way), is to hug your children a little tighter, hold them a little longer, listen to them a little closer, make sure you tell them that you love them, and to enjoy them ... for Layla. I'll try to remember this too. It can be hard when we get caught up in our day-to-day grind ... but our children are only children once, and no one knows how long they (the collective "they" of all people) have on this earth ... no one. We should do our best to enjoy each other while we can.
Hugs,
Melinda
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