The bedtime routine in our house is that after brushing her teeth, I put Maddie to bed and read her one story of her choosing. Over the last couple of months, though, Maddie’s requested that her Mommy come to bed with her, and I read the two of them the story.
That’s fine. But I’ve been wishing there were more flexibility in the routine. So I’ve encouraged Lillian to put Maddie to bed, or to do the reading, since she’s in there anyway nowadays. Lillian’s fine with that, but Maddie isn’t.
Last night, after brushing teeth, (and playing “hide and seek” in the master bedroom), I asked Maddie to go to her room and pick out a book to be read. As usual, she asked her Mommy to come along. As they both left the master bedroom, I scurried into Maddie’s room, and hopped into her bed. This would change the routine for sure!
When they got to Maddie’s room, Maddie picked out her book, and I stayed in her bed. When Maddie returned to the bed with her book, I asked her, “Maddie, who do you want to read the book? Daddy, or Mommy?” (Yep, I emphasized Mommy like that.)
Maddie said, “Mommy in bed!” with a big grin. Drat. I knew that meant she expected me to read to the two of them in bed. So I crawled out of bed, and Maddie said, “No! Mommy in bed! Daddy in bed!”
Lillian caught on before I did. Maddie wanted to read the two of us the story, tuck us in, give us a kiss, turn off the lights, and close the bedroom door. There was much giggling, but she did every bit of it. And after she was done, she climbed back into bed, and I read her and Mommy another story.
Who We Were Then
- David
- Lillian
- Maddie (3 years old)
- Aaron (1 years old)