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Written by Rowonna McNeely – Kiera’s mind is always going. She has been that way since she was little. Once she hears something new, she usually takes time to process it before she questions or comments on the subject.
Because her mind is always going, bedtime can sometimes be a challenge. In fact, let’s do a run through of three bedtime scenarios that we encounter in the McNeely household.
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Scenario 1 is the simplest of bedtime routines. It involves the standard nighttime music playing softly in the background, a soft, fluffy blanket, Quack-Quack, and a glass of chocolate milk. After everything is in place, we either watch a short movie or read a bedtime story. Once this is completed, ‘I-love-yous’ are exchanged; Kiera rolls over and goes to sleep.
Scenario 2 is a little more elaborate. It involves all of the above but when it comes time to turn off the movie, there is generally some pleading. Usually it goes like this, “Please! Please can I watch one more movie? I’m not tired!”
From there, one of us responds with, “You are tired. Otherwise, you wouldn’t be whining.” Insert whine from Kiera here. “Honey, you can watch more of your movie when we wake you up in the morning.”
At this point, she will huff, roll over and then we give her a brief moment before we exchange ‘I-love-yous’.
Scenario 3 is the most complex. Once again, we start with all of the above-mentioned in Scenario 1, but, at some point, her mind begins to want to process the entire day. This generally happens after the ‘I-love-yous’ and after she has rolled over.
During this time, there will be complete silence, except for the nighttime music playing quietly in the background. Suddenly, Kiera’s head will pop up from her pillow and she will have a random question. I’ve heard questions like, “When will the carnival come to town?” to “Did you know that so and so went with us to the library yesterday?”
After answering her questions, or promising to discus her questions in the morning, she will lay quietly for a short time before asking for a story. Aaron is really good at spinning stories for her to fall asleep to. I have another tactic.
When her mind is wound up and she can’t fall asleep, I describe things for her to dream about. The trick is in the details. Once she begins to imagine all the details, she falls asleep. I start by lowering my voice to a quiet level and proceed to tell her to dream about unicorns, glittery stars, flowers and so on. Nine times out of ten, she is asleep before I finish describing the colors of the flowers.
A few nights ago, I was lying beside my restless little girl. “Mommy? Can you tell me a story?” She asked. This was after she had watched two movies and I had sung to her.
“No, honey.” I gently replied. “But, I will tell you what to dream about.”
She grumbled her agreement and I patted her back as I began in a soft sing-song tone. “Dream about a dark sky. There is just a little light left in the sky. The sun has gone down and there is just a hint of purple left.
In the sky, there are beautiful, glittery stars and a big, silver moon. There’s a breeze and the grass and flowers are gently swaying in the wind. It’s quiet and peaceful.”
Pausing, I took a breath. I was feeling pretty confident by this time. Kiera hadn’t moved for several minutes and her breathing seemed slow and even. I decided to continue on for a couple more minutes, just in case.
“Farther away, you can hear a river as the water rolls over the rocks. The birds are getting ready for bed and singing lullabies to their babies. Over to the side, there is a family of ducks settled in for the night.”
Suddenly, I see Kiera raise her hand to ask a question. “Mom?” She quietly asked.
I blinked my eyes rapidly in the darkness, trying to figure out how she was not asleep yet. “Yes?” I responded quietly.
“How is it quiet and peaceful if you can hear the river?” She asked without lifting her head from her pillow.
Refraining from palming my face in my hand, I responded, “The river is peaceful, baby.”
She shifted under her covers as she replied, “Oh. Ok. I was just wondering.”
I took a deep breath and started from the beginning… deciding to leave out the part about the river.
Have a great week everyone!
Thank you for sharing in our weekly journeys. If you have missed any of our past stories, check out our new blog page at www.lifea2k.net or drop us a line at [email protected].
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Rowonna McNeely works with her husband, Aaron, at Willie’s T’s in the Art Department, regularly volunteers in the community, and has her hands full with her daughter, Kiera, along with two dogs and one cat.
Rowonna is a graduate of May High School (Go Tigers!) and grew up on a dairy farm. She enjoys reading, creating, swimming, and planning events. She’s also a bit of a klutz.
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