I always kind of figured most of the stuff about kids was nurture. If you treated them a certain way, you'd get certain results.
After having two children, I have converted my thinking a bit. Some of the stuff is just hard wired. I really believe some traits are just built in, like whether a kid is shy or not. Not that I have shy kids, but I'm just saying.
One of these little quirks is sleep. With Carolyn, a very sound sleeper, I always thought parents who couldn't get a kid to sleep through the night were just doing it wrong. Even Penny, who woke up once a night for a year, really didn't give me many problems. Sorry sleepy parents. I was wrong.
But now we have a morning/night issue. Carolyn wakes up pre 6 every morning. Every, single morning. That's kind of fine, since I'm usually up as well, but she wakes Penny up. Penny does not wish to be up at 6 and really lets us know. She wants to go to bed at 9 (Carolyn is fast asleep by 7:03) and sleep until 8.
So I've been sending Carolyn downstairs in the morning for the last few days. I let her watch cartoons (I know... I'm a horrible parent... shut up) while I go running or go back to bed. Penny wakes up at her leisure and everybody seems a lot happier.
And happier, even with morning cartoons, trumps fist fights and screaming.
4 comments:
what about your recent post on time-girl??? (I'm feeling like a stalker right now). Anyway, maybe the different sleep schedule isn't so bad - it'll give you a chance to spend one on one time with each of them.
Henry goes to bed earlier and sleeps later than Isaac, so I don't get any time with just him. The time I do get with them together is spent mostly trying to keep Henry alive, despite his big brother's best efforts. Did you have to deal with a hitting, head-butting toddler?
Carolyn wakes pre-6, but never left her room until 6:55. That was before the time change, when everything went wacky. Now I just send her downstairs (you're up to date from there).
Carolyn did a lot of hitting, but not until Penny was a bit older. She really never paid too much attention to the baby thing until Penny started moving around. I think that was an age thing, because they were only about 20 months apart and Carolyn was just into Carolyn at and around 2.
But be warned, I don't think it's something that goes away. But Penny's a tough kid, if that's any consolation.
At least they're sleeping through the night. Amanda is still waking up nightly and crawling into bed with me....she doesn't want to be near/cuddle Joe...just me. So I have one kicking me on the inside and the outside. Awesome!! Patty is my sleeper. BTW, Boomerang has the Jetsons on in the morning and some Tom and Jerry...the girls love it!
Ah yes, the crabby-morning-person gene. I got that one too ;)
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