What Bedtime in My House Means

After a day of cooking, cleaning, grocery shopping, running errands, doing laundry and other household chores with three kids at my side, I am beat and can’t wait for their bedtime to come.

I just got the last of them to bed and finally have some “me” time, but wait…not yet!  

My oldest daughter just came back down for a drink.  After she wets her whistle, I walk her back to bed and breathe a sigh of relief that all 3 are resting in a peaceful slumber.  Finally, all are asleep…or so I thought!

Not even 15 minutes later, my two-year old (who only wants mommy right now) starts crying from his room, so I run-up and rock him back to sleep for another half an hour.  

As I approach the steps to make my descent back downstairs to “relax,” my middle child (a very frightened little 6-year old) yells out that she had a bad dream.  I try to explain to her that her brother was crying and that this is probably what woke her up, but she insists that she is really scared and doesn’t want me to leave her.  Obviously, I can’t just walk away, so I lay down and comfort her until she falls back asleep—all while trying to keep myself awake because I have things that I want to do!

By this time, I’m exhausted and my eyelids feel like 50-pound weights hanging off of my forehead, but I am determined to check my e-mail and catch-up on some shows that have been on the DVR for months.  I sit-down at the computer and almost pass-out on the desk before my e-mail account ever even opens.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t look like any of my goals are going to be accomplished once again…I can hardly function at this point after my tiring day.  I’m going to bed.

As I go to kiss my husband goodnight, it occurs to me that aside from all of my mommy-duties, I am still somebody’s wife, as well.  He’s been waiting for me with that look in his eyes, but he knows better than to ask another thing of me at this point in the day.  There is nothing more for me to give, except for the famous line, “Just not tonight, Honey.”  

As I head-up the stairs and climb into my comfy bed, two scary thoughts cross my mind…that the baby will almost definitely be getting-up one more time tonight—if not more—and that I get to do this all over again tomorrow when the first of the bright-eyed children wakes us up by 6 am.