When I picked JJ up from a friend’s place a couple of weeks ago after a night out I said I’d return the favour so they could go to a party which happened to be last Saturday night.
This is only the second sleep over of one of JJ’s contemporaries. Read about the last one. His friend, L, hasn’t learnt how to go to sleep by herself so after I’d separated them mainly at L’s request (she wanted to go in my bed) JJ fell asleep pretty much instantly after he’d had a spit that he wanted L to stay in his room. After I’d read them a story earlier they started kissing each other, you know, quick pecks on the lips. I thought it was very cute and it crossed my mind that perhaps they shouldn’t share a room but then I realised of course that this is childhood innocence kisses, not adult let’s get into bed together right now kisses.
So L was in my bed for nearly and hour and had cried a couple of times saying she wanted mummy and daddy, and when was it going to be morning? Right after you go to sleep it will be morning I told her. I ended up putting a video on for her about an hour after she went to my bed. Half an hour later she was still wide awake so I thought she must have had a sleep that afternoon. She’d told me she hadn’t. I turned off the video at 9.45pm, by which time JJ had been asleep for one hour and fifteen minutes, and told her for the umpteenth time that it was time for her to go to sleep. About fifteen minutes later she was asleep and I was very close too. I got her out of my bed and put her back in her bed in JJ’s room and of course she woke up. I ended up sitting with her for a couple of minutes stroking her head and reassuring her and left saying that if I stayed any longer I would fall asleep.
I didn’t hear another peep out of her until the next morning when they both woke up at 6.15. TOO EARLY. They played in JJ’s room for an hour or so then I put on a video for a little while and then I couldn’t delay getting out of bed any longer so got up to start the day. It was smooth sailing after that.
Lessons learned
- Sleeping in the same room can eventually work if they can fall asleep in separate rooms. I know when JJ stays over at family day care they usually put their son to sleep in their room and then move him.
- Don’t babysit a child that doesn’t fall asleep without wanting to hang with you. I guess if I’d caved in to her she would have fallen asleep a lot sooner but I’m sure this isn’t the last time she’ll stay at my house so at least she’ll know the rules next time – that’s if she wants to stay.
- It’s stressful looking after an extra kid by yourself so try not to lose it the next day when you’ve got a weeks worth of cleaning to do and the vacuum hose keeps unwinding from it’s holder thingy. Maybe the lesson learned here is to get all the chores done the day before so the next day can be a relaxing one.
