We all Have Bad Days

Nights aren't always pretty at our house.  We put our kids to be at 8pm.  We have a routine that we follow every night.  We sit as a family, plopped in front of the tv, watching a DVD, snacking on something semi-healthy.  This lasts for about 30 minutes.  Then, as a family, we march upstairs.  Ryan takes Avery in the bathroom for potty time and brushing of the teeth.  I start nursing Emery.  We read a few books, sing some songs, cuddle, put the girls in bed, and leave.  We have done this exact routine for months.  Most of the time the girls go to sleep within the hour.  They do lots of chatting, playing, and laughing.  As long as they are in their room being fairly quiet, we are okay.  (There are times of potty breaks, Avery taking Emery's clothes off, forgetting something, etc.  But, we try to avoid those at all cost and ignore most requests.)  

You would think that since this is our norm, that every night would go about the same.  At least that is what I think.  But we have some hiccups.  One huge, UGLY, awful night happened last week.  Avery flipped out, kept coming out of her bed, demands were coming like crazy, I was mad, Ryan was mad - it was bad.  Four hours later, she finally fell asleep.  Four hours.  It was exhausting.  Then, she got up at 5am.  What?

So, seeing that we were going to the pediatricians anyway, I asked Dr. Amy about this.  And, to sum up, she basically told me that I need to be aware that kids have bad days.  She suggested that if it was taking more than 30 minutes to "put her to bed" that I needed to try something new.  She suggested pulling Avery out of the room and giving her some special attention.  She thinks watching some tv for mom while holding a cranky kid for a while, just sitting quietly, just showing some love and support may really help.  That instead of forcing her and fighting her, that I should be loving her.  Hum.  Who would have thought?! 

I get so stuck in my routines that I fail to see that some flexibility might just be the cure.  See, kids have bad days, too.  I need to remember this.  I am working on it.