Bedtime revelations

Apartment living.  It has its perks.  It has its downfalls.   We have put our best foot forward, embracing the many conveniences (covered parking, in house maintenance man, long corridors perfect for mid-day toddler sprints) The Shaker Regency has to offer and ignoring (read: not perseverating on) all that is inconvenient.   Having said that, one area that is increasingly difficult to ignore is the apartment's layout, that our beloved first born takes full advantage of each evening as she laments and protests her way out of going to bed.  She's a smart one, knowing full well that down the very (short) hallway that leads to her bedroom, her parents are fully engrossed in some Emmy-nominated cable television show, savoring every minute of silence after a full day of parenting and doctoring, AND that if she speaks up, wails, or cries out loud enough one of us will come running in an effort to keep their slumbering second born from waking, for the very thought of two children awake at 8:45 pm is more than either of them can bear.  (Insert dramatic pause.)    Bedtime. Perhaps the most difficult time of day for a parent to act unselfishly, continue to labor in love, hold one's tongue, speak kindly, and parent well if our little ones do not instantly hit the pillow, embracing all Mr. Sandman has to offer. 

This weekend, after months of voices raised in exhaustion, the husband and I managed to strategize a bedtime incentive plan.  A plan, that since its conception has resulted in smoother bedtimes and less parental follow-up.  Simply stated.  Stay in bed receive a sticker.  Receive seven stickers in a row, earn a movie.  (One can only check Mary Poppins out of the library so many times in a row before recognizing that it is worth the investment.)  That we had not thought of this before had me scratching my head.  Three stickers later, the hubs and I are enjoying more peaceful evenings.  "We dominated our children tonight, " said he, on the inaugural night of our anti-resistance bedtime campaign.  (If you know my husband, you might chuckle as I did over his choice of words.  If you don't personally know my husband, please know that he meant dominate in the kindest of ways.)  Have we thought through the incentive plan past week one, assuming it works?  No.  But, I don't really see ourselves purchasing  four DVDs a month.  We'll regroup once we pass the hurdle of week one.  Parenting is a marathon remember, not a sprint.

As a believer, I cannot help but view my role as parent in light of my relationship with my Heavenly Father.  How many times do I stand in defiance, crying out, questioning His timing, or pout in His presence?  My actions have not only mirrored my daughter's, but have often gone above and beyond her dramatic displays.  And yet, He responds with gentleness, asking that I "cast my cares upon Him" out of care and concern for me (I Peter 5:7).  His unconditional love each day envelops me with a peace the surpasses all understanding and a grace that is undeserved.  My hope and prayer is that each day, as a result of time spent in His Word, our children would begin to see less of me and more of Him in our daily interactions.  I am not naive (nor foolish), knowing that as soon as I hit "publish post" an incident will occur in my home that will challenge the very words that I just wrote.   But, as I cast my cares upon Him, committing each moment of the day - each activity, meal, bath time, and bedtime - He will provide for my needs as I attempt to provide for our children's.