Page 126 - The Intentional Parent

SLEEPING
It's the end of the day, and all you're looking forward to is a few minutes of well-deserved rest and relaxation. The last thing you want to do is become a waiter ("Can I have a drink of water?" "Can I have a cookie?"), a minstrel or bard ("Can we sing a song?" "Can you tell me a story?"), or a jailkeeper ("No, you can't have another drink of water, and we've already sung a song and read a story. Now stay in your room and don't come out."). Getting your kids to sleep can mean the difference between raising your stress level to the breaking point and reducing your stress level so you can enjoy some peace and quiet. Here are the most frequent questions parents have about sleep, and answers to help you solve some common sleep problems.
GETTING TODDLERS TO BED
My three-year-old is so active that he is wide awake at ten o'clock at night, which is just about the time my husband and I are ready to pass out after an exhausting day. I'm sure that if we let him he would stay up past midnight. He just doesn't seem to need any sleep. We try to put him down at eight o'clock but he climbs out of his crib and wanders into the living room looking for us. What can we do?
What a terrible time you must have for those two hours, battling with him to keep him in his room.
Let's see what we can put together as a plan to get him to sleep without so much fussing and aggravation. First, you describe him as active. Just how active is he? You might want to pay your pediatrician a visit to have him or her evaluate whether your
The Intentional Parent by Peter J. Favaro, Ph.D. 126