Several of my friends have been struggling with getting enough sleep. Here is a prayer for them:
Lord,
- Use the lack of sleep to remind them to call upon you, to wait on you through your Word. Renew their strength.
- Give them the sleep they need, as you have promised to supply their needs.
- Help them to be diligent to take opportunity in the day to lay aside other responsibilities when possible to rest.
- Give them a love for their children in light of eternity, and a patience for the cares of motherhood.
- Give them the humility to ask for help, if they need it. Remind them that they are not alone in their struggle, and that others are praying for them.
Isaiah 40:31 But they that wait upon the LORD shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint.
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Several weeks ago, Lee decided the children were ready to give up their pacifiers. It was one of those “I think you’re wrong, but I’ll submit anyway” moments. To both of our surprise, they adjusted quite well, and quickly. Bethel has had trouble getting to sleep, although she isn’t asking for the pacifier. I just pulled Baby Tad out of the rotating toybox, and she’s been sleeping with that. Maybe she just found a new comfort item. Lee was kind enough not to say “I told you so” and I did admit that he made the right decision. (and I’m thankful I listened to him)
The only problem now is that Laurel decided she likes a different kind of pacifier, and I have about 10 of the old kind. Oh well!
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Oldest son (age 3) hates baths. More specifically, he hates getting his hair washed. More specifically, he hates getting water (not merely soap) in his eyes.
This isn’t unique to bathtime. Put him outside in a small swimming pool, and he’ll cry if he gets water in his eyes. Little sister loves putting her face in the water. I’ve not done anything different with her, and she thinks having a bath is fun.
The problem is… he cries every time he gets a bath. I can honestly say that when I wash his hair, I do not get water in his eyes. But he still cries. I’d like to teach him not to cry. And the fact is, I don’t like getting water in my eyes either.
Possible options:
- Let him take a shower (problem: he’s scared of the shower)
- Spank him when he cries (after all, he needs to learn that sometimes we must do unpleasant things)
- Ignore the crying and tell him he’s being a baby. Big boys don’t care if their eyes get wet, and besides, look at your sister. She doesn’t have a problem with getting baths (very tempting, I must confess!)
- Teach him how to deal with his fear (?) biblically. This is the option I’m leaning towards at the moment. But it’s going to take awhile. I want him to be able to identify what the problem is, to be able to understand how to implement a solution. This morning after bath, I tried to question him to get him to explain what about a bath he didn’t like. No progress. I think the questioning is a good thing, but I’m not asking the right questions yet. (Or he’s not cognitively able to be led to an understanding of what he’s afraid of)
Maybe this is a question for my mom…. 
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I’ve been given advice about David and the pacifier. Apart from the peer pressure of feeling like an incompetent mother when others find out he “needs” a paci to sleep (nap and bedtime), and apart from the inconvenience of dealing with an occasionally disoriented and distressed three year old when he can’t find it in the middle of the night, it’s really not that big of a deal.
However, it’s true that it’s not exactly good for his teeth (although I think the studies that demonstrate this deal with excessive pacifier use, like all day. I might have to look it up!). It’s also true that giving up the pacifier should happen inevitably– why not now?
Here’s why. I’m trying to understand David’s personality and his response to stress! Even one major stress (like our move, or potty training) affects David’s eating and sleeping habits. He gets nausea when he’s stressed. Because of his personality, I’ve tried to limit the stress to one major event at a time. (major events– new bed, new sister, new schedule for dad, vacations, potty training, no house, new house) I’m trying to think of parenting as a long-term process, not a series of one-day learning events, and I do have time before the pacifier is a real problem. It’s not now. I realize (from what other mothers wisely tell me) that the trauma lasts only a few days (or did for their children). I’m reasonably sure this will be the case with David.
I think we’ll be working on the pacifier in the next few weeks. David’s been eating better (could be a growth spurt). He’s excited about routine (no weeping when going to a new Sunday school). He’s delighted with sleeping in his room and has been enjoying having a little more room in his new house (he’s going to sleep fine for naps and bedtime, and plays happily during the day). All of these responses to life seem to indicate that even though mom and dad haven’t yet established routine, the kids are pretty settled. (I’ve got a lot of changes in the next couple of months, including teaching an online education course, and having a baby! Lee doesn’t start seeing patients until next week, even though he’s at work every day now.)
I’ll keep you posted.
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Evening Observations:
Last night, Bethel wanted to pull her suitcase around, and I wanted to get her dressed for bed. She was very (overly) tired. She did not want to lie down and kept a death grip on the suitcase handle. When I pried her hands off, she screamed. Here is what I did: I sympathized with her (“It’s hard to stop what you are doing”), and just kept on changing her. I don’t want her to think that her crying has any effect on what I do in these cases. I didn’t say anything about anger (although it was anger) because she wasn’t really rational to hear it, I think. Once I was done, I carried her into the bedroom and she was fine (she goes to bed well, actually).
Morning Observations:
I don’t require the children to close their eyes when they pray. I’ve told them why we do it (it shows repect for God and helps us not to think of other things), but I’ve figured that they’ll close their eyes to pray as they mature. And they do. It’s fun to see them imitating the prayer habits of their parents.
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