Day 5: Another Bed

The kids are on a roll this week. Charlotte keeps waking up in the middle of the night, and yelling "Mom!" at the top if her lungs until I get up. I think she is having nightmares, but she has learned from being sick that if she says "hurts" or "tummy hurts", then I am alot more...attentive.  I have to get up because my husband gets up at 4am to get to work in Richmond. He works with heavy machinery so fatigue can be dangerous for him.
If Im lucky Maggie keeps sleeping...I havent been lucky.  Two kids up at 3am?!? And my husband awake...and my mother-in-law awake ( she is staying with us until mid-June.) Ahhhh!!! Last night I just handed my m-i-l Maggie and went to deal with Chich (Charlotte.
Sooooo...I got another bed. Well got it out of my parents storage unit. Its in the office now right next to Charlotte. Now Art can close his door, put in the ear plugs and get solid rest. I on the other hand...I think tonight if Charlotte wakes up again I'm gonna have to stonewall her. Its becoming a habit...and ignoring is sometimes the only solution. I am useless the next day without sleep! Can I ignore with compassion?! I can choose what is best for the whole family.
I haven't got alot of reading in...but I have been thinking about the book after a Parents Night meeting last night at The Treehouse (preschool for Chich). The topic was how to get your kids to listen. They promote the same ideas of Peaceful Parenting.
The take aways from that get together were 1. Have realistic expectations. Know where your child is developmentally. 2. Don't yell...or if you do then correct yourself and change your behavior. Yelling degrades your relationship with your child. Get up...walk over...put your hand on their back...look them in the eye...and talk to them.  ( the teachers admitted to making this mistake...which made us all feel better.)3. Have more Yes's! Try not to make everything "no" in a child's life...pick the really important stuff...and let the little stuff go. Like Charlotte pulling all the petals off my roses...they wil grow back...and plenty of time to teach her respect of flowers. My friend Janna reminded me of this also the other day at the park...your kids have their whole life for rules!
Anyway...Maggie is awake!