No rest for the… wicked?
I just put my niece back to bed for the 15th time in an hour and a half.
I remember Mom telling stories about me getting out of bed as a little girl of 4 or 5, sitting on the basement stairs as quietly as possible until some adult happened to find me or I gave myself away. Apparently, I didn’t want anything - I was just afraid I was missing out. What is the old saying about the sins of the fathers? Does that apply to aunts, as well?
I’ve been spending one night a week at my brother’s house for the last several weeks now. My sister-in-law works a night shift and leaves for work around 9:30, and he’s working a job that takes him out of town Monday through Thursday - someone has to stay with Wia and Emma. They warned me coming in that Wia doesn’t do a very good job of staying in bed… it’s so bad they have to 1) threaten to take away all her “babies”, and 2) promise that come the weekend, they’ll be able to pull several fully grown quarters from behind her ears. Some nights are better than others; last Monday she didn’t get up one single time after I put her to bed. Tonight, 15 times and counting. I think she’s just afraid of what she might be missing, which is simply me surfing the internet, silly girl.
What this is ultimately doing for me, however, is NOTHING. I’m already sleeping on the couch, and so I have back pains for at least the next day. Now, in addition to that, I’m actually losing sleep to get up with her and put her back to bed! I keep thinking, what would I do if it were my child? At almost 3, she’s definitely old enough for the big girl bed, but I think I might put her back in a baby bed. Or at least threaten it. Seriously. Thank goodness she’s so cute and sweet, or I might have to restrain her somehow. Tonight when I got here she sat on my lap, facing me, as she always does and said “I hope you can stay, Aunt Amanda.” Just kill me now.
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