Why, oh, why is it so difficult for kids/babies to go to sleep? (I say this remembering how it was difficult for me as a child ...) As an adult, I fall gratefully into sleep, and as a mother, long greedily for a good lengthy stretch of it. But for my kids, hell no, sleep is an enemy that must be fought valiently each night. With Francis, the bedtime routine starts an hour (!) before his bedtime -- clean-up, bathtime, PJ-time, books, cuddle. Lately he been creeping out of bed after he has been tucked in, gathering 10-15 of his favorite books and reading for a long while. On the one hand, I just hate to take books (we like to encourage literacy in this house), but on the other, the child needs to sleep, and god knows his behaviour the next day bears me out. (Come to think of it, perhaps this is my problem with my Dr. Jeckell/Mr. Hyde behaviour lately as well).
Who was it that said that children are afraid to go to sleep because they don't quite believe that they will wake up in the morning? Francis has begun the Epoch of the Scary (bugs are scary, birds are scary, broccoli is scary ...) and I am wondering if this has something to do with the sleeptime resistance. I am thinking that perhaps now is a good time for us to teach him yoga and/or relaxation. I am thinking, the earlier yoga enters his life, the better. (I wish I had found yoga earlier). We have bought a "Yoga Kids" DVD, but apparently snake pose is "scary". Who knew?
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