Changing Roles With My Daughter

As much as I wish I was one of those who could function on five hours of sleep, I have to admit I usually need about seven hours (a brief power nap in the afternoon is swell also). Before, I started teaching, I didn't go in to work until 9:00a.m., so I keep later hours. Now, I am awake Monday through Friday before 6:00 a.m. This often has me dozing off by ten or so in the evening. It used to be that I could walk my daughter to sleep when she was an infant, but now I am often asleep well before she is. It just so happens that she is a night owl like her mother, grandmother, aunt, and great grandmother and can usually can stay awake until midnight if we let her. She even on one occassion stayed up until 1:00. (I know we are bad, bad parents for allowing her to stay up so late)! A couple of weeks ago, we were at the house of five of her nephews one evening. I told the eight and six year olds that she would outlast them, and they were adamant that no two year old would stay awake longer than they could. I vehemently objected by taunting them, and Sophie didn't let me down by being the last kid awake.

Anyway, while my wife was working late hours last weekend, I spent the evenings with Soph. I pulled out my repertoire of strategies designed to get her to sleep at a reasonable hour, after all I wanted to go to bed myself. I dimmed the lights, made warm milk, and whispered to her softly. Well, none of these tactics worked too well and I found myself dozing periodically, only to jump at the sudden realization that I had a two-year old in my care. She astutely recognized my predicament and jumped up on the sofa and began to take her little hands and rub my back. She patted my cheeks and kissed me on the lips. She then took one of her hands and put it over my eyelids and closed them while saying, "It's O.K. Daddy, you go to sleep." I smiled at her and dozed while she stayed awake awhile longer. Eventually, I awoke to her sleeping right alongside me. I got up and brought her to bed, kissed her, and said good night. What a great way to end the day.