Thursday, August 9, 2007

An (Extra) Ordinary Bedtime Story

The kids are now sleeping like angels. As if nothing extra ordinary happened an hour ago.

This was our bedtime story an hour ago.

After taking a shower:

IC: I dont want to sleep. I want to watch the tv.
Mama: Ok, then I'll go up and work some more.
IC: (Suddenly appearing beside me) I want to print Spartacus.
Mama: You can print one page, but then you have to go to bed.
IC: No, I want to go and stay in the living room. I dont want to sleep.
Mama: I will only print Spartacus if you'll sleep afterwards.
IC: Okay, but I wont close my eyes.
Mama: (After printing Spartacus) Now go to bed.
IC: No, I want to go down and watch tv.
Mama: I am giving you two minutes and I'm going down to fetch you.

After a few minutes:

IC: Mama, I dont want to sleep with you. I will sleep with Papa downstairs.
Mama: Nope, you'll stay with me in your room.
IC: (Running to papa) Papa, I dont want to sleep in my room.
Papa: Ate is already sleeping in her room. Mama will join the ate downstairs and papa will stay with you upstairs, ok?
IC: No, I want to sleep with Mama downstairs.
Mama: No more arguments. You'll stay here in your room and sleep with mama. Papa can go down to ate.
IC: (Screaming and kicking) No, no, no! I want to sleep with papa downstairs.
Mama: You can go down with papa, but I dont want to hear anything anymore, ok?
IC: Yes.
Papa: Okay, let's go down.
Mama: Ask the ate to come up, I'll sleep with her.

Ate came up. We said our evening prayers. But how can we sleep when we could hear IC screaming and crying downstairs. Ate cannot take it when IC is uncontrollable like this, knowing the consequence, so she begged me if she could bring IC up, too. I nodded my consent. After a few seconds, ate came hurrying up in tears because she discovered that papa left IC alone in her room. And IC is crying, begging to be 'freed'.

MC: Papa, please let IC go out. I wanted to bring her upstairs. We can sleep together. Please, please. I am afraid.
Papa: No, let her stay inside the room alone.
MC: (To me) Mama, Papa left IC alone inside my room and she is crying. Papa dont want to open the door. Please.
Mama: Tell the papa to please let IC go out. That she can join you in sleeping upstairs.
MC: (Trembling) Okay, mama, I will tell the papa.
MC: (Downstairs) Papa, mama told me it is okay to bring IC up.
Papa: Nope, she told me she wanted to sleep downstairs, then we will sleep downstairs.
(He then opened the room's door to confront IC who's now stubbornly clinging to her decision to go up and stay with me.)
MC: (To me) Mama, please ask the papa to bring IC here.

After having a loud discussion with papa, we heard IC coming up. Not crying, but with a determined look. MC is now satisfied to see her, she kept her silence and waited. Then I heard Papa threatened to cancel the ticket to a show that we wanted to see with the kids because of what happened tonight.

IC: (Shouting to papa) I dont care. Mama, I am here.
Mama: So, you want to sleep here?
IC: Yes.
Mama: Okay, then lay down. Close your eyes. Close your mouth. Close your ears.
IC: I will not close my eyes, I already told you.
Mama: When you dont sleep in two minutes, I am out of here, too.

Silence.

MC: Mama, I dont want to use the pillow.
Mama: IC, can you exchange places with Ate?
IC: (She who normally seeks a pillow while sleeping) I dont want to have this pillow.
Mama: Do you want me to go and leave both of you now?
MC: Okay mama, I will sleep with the pillow.
IC: Okay, I'll sleep now.

After a few seconds of silence,

MC: I dont have enough blanket.
IC: Me, too.
Mama: I can leave you now so both of you will have enough blanket to share.

Silence.

MC: zzzzzzz
IC: zzzzzzzz

Finally, winning the battle of the zzzzzzz's!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dang! She can put up a fight, your little one. My daughter will sometimes say she is not sleepy yet and I let her stay up. She'll go to bed eventually. When she's really sleepy, I would tease her that she should stay up and have a party first but she'll say no-no. Reverse psychology ;) .

ScroochChronicles said...

Tapang ah! So at the end of it all, napagod din pala. I like your kid, she has oomph :)

karen said...

grabe sis! parang ako ang napagod sa discussions nyo! kudos to you for keeping your cool... i feel like i would've snapped by then...

raqgold said...

KK - reverse physchology doesnt work with IC at all. ganon sya ka stubborn, grrr!

scrooch -- actually, tulog na sya during na time na nakikipag away sya e, bukas lang ang mata :-) kaya lang the WILL is still awake. you'll see how she is when we'll visit in manila next year! antay ka lang, hehe.

karen -- it was the glass of red wine that made so cool, hahah!