"Leave me alone."
It was said with a big smile, and not in a petulant way. It was said every time I went into his room from 7:30 until 8. Tonight, for the first time, my boy asked to be left in his bed (i.e., his crib) while he read (i.e., looked at the pictures within) his book.
At 7:30, I finished reading to him and started getting him into his PJs. While I was changing him, he was holding onto a "new" book that I brought home for him. (I love when coworkers bring in their old kids' books, and I always take home at least one.) He started saying, "I go to bed?" I told him he had to brush his teeth first, and so we did that. But then he went right back to his room and walked over to his crib. I asked him if he wanted to read in bed for a little while, since it wasn't bedtime yet. He said yes, and so I helped him into his crib, turned on the reading light and turned off the overhead. He smiled and kept looking at me.
I asked him,"Do you want me to stay here while you read, or do you want me to leave you alone?"
"You leave me alone, Mommy?"
"Sure, sweetie. I'll clean up some and then check back on you in a little while."
I straightened up the living room. Some of that entailed taking stray toys back into his room to put them away. Whenever I walked into his room, he'd look up from his book at me and giggle, and say "leave me alone?" I'd excuse myself and give him his privacy.
It was wonderful. I wound up helping Not So Angry Husband repair one of our kitchen cabinet doors that had fallen during the day. We had a long, relaxing, quiet talk in the kitchen while NSAH nuked popcorn and I poured myself some Gatorade and had a handful of almonds.
Finally at 8, we went in for hugs and kisses goodnight. He cried a bit when we took his book away and turned off the light (but he's quiet and fine now). I think he would've liked to fall asleep with a book and with the light on.
At 7:30, I finished reading to him and started getting him into his PJs. While I was changing him, he was holding onto a "new" book that I brought home for him. (I love when coworkers bring in their old kids' books, and I always take home at least one.) He started saying, "I go to bed?" I told him he had to brush his teeth first, and so we did that. But then he went right back to his room and walked over to his crib. I asked him if he wanted to read in bed for a little while, since it wasn't bedtime yet. He said yes, and so I helped him into his crib, turned on the reading light and turned off the overhead. He smiled and kept looking at me.
I asked him,"Do you want me to stay here while you read, or do you want me to leave you alone?"
"You leave me alone, Mommy?"
"Sure, sweetie. I'll clean up some and then check back on you in a little while."
I straightened up the living room. Some of that entailed taking stray toys back into his room to put them away. Whenever I walked into his room, he'd look up from his book at me and giggle, and say "leave me alone?" I'd excuse myself and give him his privacy.
It was wonderful. I wound up helping Not So Angry Husband repair one of our kitchen cabinet doors that had fallen during the day. We had a long, relaxing, quiet talk in the kitchen while NSAH nuked popcorn and I poured myself some Gatorade and had a handful of almonds.
Finally at 8, we went in for hugs and kisses goodnight. He cried a bit when we took his book away and turned off the light (but he's quiet and fine now). I think he would've liked to fall asleep with a book and with the light on.
posted by Angry Pregnant Lawyer at 8:13 PM
12 Comments:
Delicious boy!
He's growing up!! I love that he like reading.
How sweet!
We actually leave Baby H with a book and the light on dimly. She likes to read to Barney and her babies.
Baby Blue sometimes wants to look through her books by herself, but definitely not at bedtime. And LG has never heard of this concept of "private time." Sigh.
I so heart AB.
Ah, what a sweetheart. A kid after my own - I myself would love to go to sleep with a book in my hand.
Good for you! Actual time to yourself... Enjoy it.
Kelly! What is up with your blog, woman? Have you run away to typepad? :-)
Completely sweet!
Oh, so adorable. Just adorable!
Oh, that is so sweet.
I hate to admit to bad parenting, but I have no qualms about letting G fall asleep while reading (with the light on).
I don't think it's bad parenting to let kids fall asleep with books and the light on. My kid, now 14, has been doing it since he was about 18 mos. I have some great pictures of him asleep in his crib with a book still in his hands. And he still goes to sleep that way often.
He is such a sweetiepea.
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