So Who's the Boss Now?

Today I was reading my favorite site (dooce.com) and was compelled to write about the same topic...

My husband and I are currently going through nap/bedtime madness! There are a million people out there that will tell you how they got their little prince or princess to stay in their crib or to transition to a "big kid" bed, but what they forget is that every kid is different!

I have one of the strongest willed children I know. She knows how to push our buttons and she's TWO! I can only imagine the nightmares I'll be having when she's fourteen! She's wonderful for other people...but not for mommy and daddy!

About a month ago she started climbing out of her crib successfully...by that I mean she is able to conquer it every time she tries. When all of this started I bought a toddler bed and figured it was time to transistion. Easier said than done!

We've tried the SUPER NANNY techniques, read books, and tried everything but the duct tape and chicken wire...though it's been discussed! One night, knowing we had about 45 seconds until she was back out in the living room, we turned out every single light in the house thinking that the safety of her night light would send her packin'! We stood still in complete silence as her door opened and she walked right up to my husband and said, "Hi Daddy!" Our freaking kid can see in the dark!!

So obviously that was a failure, but we knew it was just the beginning of crazy attempts.

A couple weeks ago I rubbed my daughter's back as she lay peaceful in her big girl bed, but as soon as I stopped it was over. Well after my patience was depleted I opted back to the crib. For the next 20 minutes I stood there keeping her from shimming down her crib. I swore she would get tired and give up, but naturally I was the one that broke first!

Last week we thought we had finally won...boy were we wrong! She climbed out of her crib and laid on the floor next to the door screaming. She knows how to open the door, so we figured since she wasn't coming out she was fine with sleeping on the floor. We'd go in later and put her in her bed or crib. She screamed for about 10 minutes when my husband broke down and went into her room.

He found a half naked child...peeing on her carpet! !!!

She had clearly won that battle...but the war wages on!