Last night's bedtime was a disaster of Iraqi war planning proportions -- at 12:30 a.m., I was driving her around down praying for sleep after losing half my hearing in a 2-hour operatic screamfest. Tonight she fell asleep on time with nothing but her blanket and her thumb.
The difference? We stopped dictating the conditions of her bedtime and started listening to what was upsetting her. In other words: we turned a light on.
In hindsight, it was obvious: she was upset/scared/mad at being put to sleep in the dark. We thought her frantic reaching for the lights in other rooms was a sign of distraction, but now we see it was a gesture of comfort. Once we got what she was saying, it all became clear: she didn't want our darkened ambient-music atmosphere; she wanted a comforting light, probably like the one she had at the orphanage or foster home.
It's rare that a metaphorical lightswitch comes at the same time an acutal one does, but there you have it.
2 comments:
Good catch guys! I remember that Zoe had a night light and she used to fall asleep best when the house was not "quiet". I learned to put her to bed and then putter near her room for a while so she knew I was there, (lots of throat clearing, etc.). Makes me wonder what my parents went through...
-Steve
Cam went through the light on/light off thing, too. At some point we started letting HIM turn the light off to go to bed and VOILA, he would go to sleep in the dark. Also, there are these wonderful crib toys by Fisher-Price - the "Ocean Wonders Aquarium". . .it plays music, has bubbling water, and A LIGHT! Cam turns it on once we leave the room.
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