My Backward Parenting Dilemma

It's 9 p.m. I imagine there are many parents struggling to get their children to go to bed right now. Oh how they wish their children would willingly observe a decent bedtime.

For the past 2 days, I've had the opposite problem. My sweet slumberer wants to go to bed far too early.

I had instituted a bedtime of about 8:30, and she was cooperating well. But yesterday, around 6:30, she started getting fussy. Soon, her fussiness turned to wails. She ate, but even after a full meal the cries continued. Finally, around 7:30, I took her upstairs to her room to put her to bed because I didn't know what else to do.

As soon as we entered the darkened room and I started putting on her pajamas, she calmed down. I had barely begun to rock her when she fell asleep. She awoke once briefly, but quieted right down and slept soundly for almost 8 hours. She woke up to eat at about 3:30, then slept again until 7:30 this morning.

Tonight, she started getting fussy around 6. Again, she ate well but then continued to scream. These are the kind of screams that turn her whole body rigid and her face bright red. So just after 7, when nothing else worked, I took her upstairs to her nursery. Once the pajamas went on, the crying stopped. She was quickly rocked to sleep, and it's now 2 hours later and I haven't heard a peep from her.

If she'd had it her way, the past 2 nights she would've gone to bed at about 6:30.

That's far too early, but my concerns are selfish. I go back to work next week (huge sigh here). I was already devastated to think that I'd only get to spend time with her from 5:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. most days. So the thought of a 6:30 bedtime is heart-wrenching.

I know I should just be grateful that she sleeps so well, and I am. But I'm having a hard time coping with the impending separation, and I just want to maximize all of the time we can have together. My mom reminded me that just because she does something 2 nights in a row does not mean it is her new routine. Next week she could decide that 2 a.m. is her real bedtime, and I'll have a different problem on my hands. But for now, I can't apologize for wanting to have her near me just a bit longer.

Lee and I are going to work on trying to get her to take better naps during the day. Once I go back to work, that'll help Lee have a few solid hours to work. And maybe it'll help her stay awake and happy a little later so I can have some more quality Cami time.