Karen Triggiani just sent me this link to nightly bedtime drama:
Does this scenario sound familiar? You've tucked your toddler in for the night. Pajamas are on, teeth are brushed, stories are read. You sit down to relax and a little voice calls anxiously from the bedroom, 'Mommy, I need one more kiss.' Obligingly, you re-tuck her in, give her a kiss and say firmly, 'Goodnight now.' Soon, your toddler appears in the doorway and says through tears, 'I don't want to go to bed.' You tuck her in again and say, more firmly this time, 'See you in the morning.' Several scenes later, she's still awake and protesting and you're wondering if she'll EVER go to sleep.
This little drama—or some variation on the theme—is enacted in thousands of households every night of the year. Although the problem is not life-threatening, it creates a great deal of tension and strife within the average household. In addition to you and your child and your personality traits, there are at least three other 'actors' in the drama that strongly influence the plot:
1. The amount of sleep a 2-year-old needs.
2. The issue of control.
3. Anxiety and fear.
Let's examine each one in turn and see how it plays a role in the nightly drama.
