I Think She Tricked Me
January 18th, 2013I snapped a photo yesterday of my daughter looking particularly movie star-esque. Or perhaps it’s more like a rock star, since she kind of looks like she had a rough night. When I posted it on Instagram, I captioned it like so:
I wish driving and photography were an easier combination, she was looking like a movie star this morning (yes those are chocolate chips on her face from the cookie she had for breakfast b/c she has manipulated me into rewarding her for not screaming her face off for 45 mins before going the fuck to sleep….)
It was only later that it dawned on me that perhaps, my brilliant almost 3 year old might ACTUALLY be tricking me. At first when I posted it, I didn’t necessarily think that her bedtime antics were in fact just a ruse to deliver her a sweet sweet cookie victory, but now I’m starting to wonder. I know I set myself up here, but desperate times my friends, desperate times. She has been SUCH a three year old as of late, and a majority of her antics come out in the form of her bedtime stall tactics.
She actually holds and breaks her pees apart. As in, we can tell that the pee she’s having before her and daddy get into bed for stories is being stopped midway. You know, just saving some for later. Which she will use to get us to come up to her room for the 15th time. We’ve started making her go again after books, but it doesn’t always work. She knows we wouldn’t dream of ignoring her plea for pee, and she certainly uses that to her advantage!
Then there are all the stuffies and their various needs. They all have to be in her bed, covered, with the ability to see, leaving her enough space to sleep. It’s like a circus act trying to get that accomplished. And even when you manage? She sits up to look at them, effectively ruining all your work.
She employs endless tactics. We are trying to nip things in the bud and not engage, but she’s crafty and it’s late and we get duped. It is what it is, and I only hope she learns to go to bed without so much trouble before I start to drug her (I kid I kid, I save the drugs for myself…..).
The worst of all is the crying. Eventually we stop giving in, and leave her to her own devices. Then she cries, and screams, and pounds on her door and BEGS for us to come up. Every time we break and go up, she’s smiling and totally fine.
By the end we are frustrated and being stern and I really just want her to go to bed hearing “good night I love you” once in awhile instead of “IF I HAVE TO COME UP HERE AGAIN YOU WILL BE IN BIG TROUBLE!”
So, I started rewarding her for going to bed nicely, by giving her a treat in the morning. This is all well and good until I realized, it was all a game. She tells us every night that she won’t cry, and when she doesn’t, COOKIES FOR BREAKFAST!
My almost three year has old totally owned me, hasn’t she?
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Tags: Big Girl Bed, Toddlerisms, Why Oh Why
Maybe.
But, I, too, deal with 3yo antics at bedtime (usually involving her coming downstairs 15 times until I finally get mean and startle her into staying up there) and I’m not sure that a cookie for breakfast isn’t a bad alternative.
Greta @gfunkified´s last [type] ..The Winter YUCKS #giveaway
Hey man, it works!! After we get in a groove we run out of cookies and the reward gets smaller, like a chocolate egg until we phase it out….until we have to start over when the antics start again.
Dude. My girl is 6 and still suckers me. Every night I get a (hubs is deployed) “Please mama can I sleep in your bed just one more night?! I pinky promise cross my hear” cue the batting of the eyes & sweet smile…
Girls and their trickery. We learn young.
Becky @ Ballistic Gypsy´s last [type] ..wink-wink, nudge-nudge
[...] up, you’ve done it too), you can converse with them, you can talk things over, you can bribe reward them. And for the most part, they are [...]