Independance Hall

There are certain things that little boys still need their mommies for. Cooking a healthy supper, giving them baths, washing their clothes, dressing them. There are certain things that pose a challenge for a little boy and his mother. Say, for instance, the sudden disgust of meat. Of any kind. No matter how little mom makes the meat, no matter how much it gets smooshed, smashed, squished, blended in, disguised, the boy finds it - even the tiniest molecular piece, and spits it out into his hand and gives it back. Now, I'm a rational woman. I know that this is a phase and he will outgrow it, then possibly grow back into it again when he gets a bit older, then grow out of it again. That doesn't make it any easier to catch a slimed, chewed (sometimes) piece of chili in my hand. And it certainly doesn't make washing his clothes or hands much easier either.

Then there's nap time. Do you watch Super Nanny? You've seen those horrific images of families who have had their children sleeping in their bed since birth, and then all of a sudden, super nanny intervenes and puts that to a screeching (literally) halt. Super nanny tells a poor exhausted mother that she needs to put the baby to sleep in his or her own bed, then sit there and listen to baby cry, without looking at baby or acknowledging that baby is wailing until he or she is about ready to burst a blood vessel. When baby stands up, mom is supposed to silently and gently lay baby back down, then resume her position in the rocking chair or on the floor next to baby. Then after several exhausting hours, baby finally falls asleep (duh) and mom sneaks out and sleeps happily (uh huh - more like sobs herself to sleep feeling so guilty about her baby's broken heart and blood vessels that she can't stop weeping) in her own bed without her child. Well let me tell you. Yes, Brighton sleeps in our bed at night. Yes, you heard right. We share a family bed. Or co-sleep or whatever you want to call it. Which is fine, we all enjoy it. But the bad habit I would like to break is the one where I have to lay with him to nap. And if he wakes up (which he inevitably will) 1/2 hour into his nap, and I'm not there, he comes a pat pating out to where ever I am, sobbing and snotty. So today, I try this Super Nanny gig. It worked, kind of. He cried for about 1/2 hour on and off, until he finally fell asleep, in his own bed. I sat there for a while, waiting for him to wake, and when he didn't, I snuck out to finish working on the computer. After a little while, he started crying. So I went in, gave him a quick hug and kiss, and laid him back down and took my respective spot in the rocking chair. He quickly fell back asleep, then Dad came in asking about something. I answered in a whisper, he motioned that he couldn't hear me. I said it again, a little louder but still in a whisper. Still couldn't hear me. I responded again, in a slightly louder whisper, then it happened. CRYING. UGH! "GET OUT" I mouthed to my husband. I tried and tried to lay him back down but to no avail. So instead, I got him out of the bed, put his coat and shoes on and we went outside to help daddy with the pond. Yes, he was happy, tired, but happy. Fell asleep about 6:30 (after "eating" his supper described above) and off we go. Needless to say, yes, Brighton will be back in our "family bed" tonight, but we'll try the Super Nanny gig again tomorrow for nap time, so long as I can hold out.