we have been struggling lately with nathan and sleeping. he has never wanted to fall asleep. somewhere around 3-4 weeks old, i think someone told him that "if he fell asleep he would miss something". he is pretty sure that all of the fun things happen after he goes to bed. once sleeping he has always been a dream (no pun intended). sleeping from 7pm to 7am, then taking a 2-4 hour morning nap and a 1.5-2 hour afternoon nap.
well lately, he has been pushing for (by that i mean screaming like a mad man in his crib) for a later bed time - refusing to sleep until well after 8:30 or 9:00, then fighting his morning nap. on a few occassions he screamed right through it. i may not be the smartest person on the block, but i could tell something had to change. with some firm words and loving discipline from mommy and daddy, nathan has realized that bedtime is bedtime. when mom and dad said so, b/c they said so. "so there."
we have a new sleep schedule worked out to adapt to his decrease in need of sleep. and bedtime means that is it. it has been a wonderful test of patience, and discipline (for all parties). and it has been great to see how God is teaching us every day through nathan.
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Ann - way to go!!! You and Richard are wonderful parents. I have been dwelling on this type of issue as well in the last several weeks. (as you know, ahem.)
I've really been asking God for principles from His word, and what I find leads me to these strong points.
~ God created our bodies to need sleep. Just as my toddler does not order when he eats or what he wears, he is not mature enough to decide when or not he will take sleep.
~ God desires that we be self-controled. My toddler should not stand and yell his lungs out because I have put him in his bed. He is capable of learning to control his voice and body, ie. to stay put in bed and refrain from crying.
~ God desires us trust Him.
My toddler can begin to learn trust by waiting in bed until the appointed time that Mommy will come back. He should not control my coming to him over and over during the nap time.
In essence - There are spiritual lessons for Glendon to learn through this bedtime issue, and my consistency and faithfulness is the tool. It is not cruel for me to require a naptime from him from 1-3 in the afternoon. It would be cruel for me to give him the impression that he runs the show and should control every moment. Better to learn on something like bedtime then on much more serious issues down the road.
Glad you're seeing fruit with Nathan... keep up the good work!!!
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