Bedtime Woes

Gideon has been going through a pretty rough phase of not going to bed and staying there which has been going on for the last few months.  He used to be such a great little sleeper -- I would put him down in his crib, walk out the door and he would sleep for 10-12 hours every night. 

Then he turned three.....  and the nightmare began.  He started realizing that he had some power of persuasion and negotiating.  His excuses have become grander and more desperate as the months have gone on.  His trump card has been, "I need to PEEEEEEE!!!!!"  I, not wanting loads and loads of laundry every night, usually gave in. 

Last night, I decided to make a stand.  I went through his normal bedtime routine.  He had a snack, brushed his teeth, went to the bathroom, had a story, prayers and snuggles -- and then I walked out of his room.  What followed was probably the most physically and mentally draining 75 minutes I have had in a very, very long time. 

Gideon went through every excuse he could think of and then started at the beginning and tried them again.
"I need to pee!"
"I need a drink!"
"I'm scared of the dark!"
"I need to sleep in your bed!"
"I need a snuggle!"
The whole time I am standing watch at his door and putting him back in bed every time he gets up.  I didn't say a word to him, just picked him up and put him back in bed.  There were times where I wasn't even out the door yet and he was at the door again.  I lost track, but my guess is that I put him back to bed over 200 times in just over an hour of all that screaming.  Gid is not a small kid either -- he weighs just about 40lbs! 

He finally gave in and fell asleep, and I gratefully did the same.  This morning I was definitely feeling the effects of my hour long workout the night before, and I was hoping I would not have to repeat it again tonight.  I knew that one night was not going to fix the months and months of bad habits that had formed, but I was hoping that it would have made some small improvements. 

We went through the whole routine again, and I left him in his room.

He stayed!  For about 5 minutes..... and then started a few new tricks.

I was so excited that he stayed in his room and was quiet, that I went downstairs and helped the girls get into their beds (Matt was out at a meeting tonight).  I paid for it when I got back upstairs, because Gideon decided to empty his bookshelf on his bed while I was away.  "But Mom, I want some on my bed!"  he said.  Hahaha!  A few, yes -- thirty, no! 

We got that all cleaned up and I got him back in bed, and he tried to get out only a few times.  All I had to do was peek around the corner when he opened the door and he ran back to his bed.  I had to laugh when I heard him say, "You made a bad choice Mom!"   And when I put him back again a second time it was, "Now you made two bad choices!" 

To make a long story short, he definitely was not perfect going to bed tonight, but he was asleep in his bed after a short 30 minutes tonight!  I hope we are on the road to recovery and some long peaceful nights of sleep!