Sometimes it’s okay to say “Good night, I love you” and just walk out of the room. Probably best to inhibit the desire to slam the door and just keep a soft tone of voice. Hard, but better.
Because sometimes an “I love you” is all you can muster. You know you love them but at the moment you are just downright impatient, uninterested, and definitely not feeling “the love.” You are frustrated, angry, and too tired to care. At the moment, you just want to sit on the couch, pick up a book or turn on the TV and just have 5 minutes of peace and if at all possible, a smidgen of quiet.
Their bellies are full (or full enough even if they don’t think so). Their teeth are brushed (for at least 20 seconds of the recommended two minutes). They may or may not have jammies on, but the pull-up is in place and that matters more. The house is warm (compared to the 48 degrees it hit when the polar vortex crashed through the area again this winter). And they are over-tired thanks to your desire to take them for a “nice night out” for their basketball award ceremony (note to self: they are still not old enough for evening activities!).
They are whiny. They are miserable little guys. They refuse to lie down. They refuse to settle. They are throwing pillows at each other. They are jumping on their beds. They are screaming that you don’t care about them. They are threatening to ignore you for the next 10 sleeps (if only he would carry through on that). They are currently not the most lovable creatures on earth. Far from it.
It is absolutely okay to walk out of the room.
It’s likely that they really will make it through the night without the requisite twenty minutes of Go, Dog, Go. They might not actually die of hunger or thirst as bemoaned since they could easily walk the ten feet to the bathroom sink for a cup of water if really necessary. They can probably cover their bodies up themselves without requiring your expertise at billowing the blanket – it’s really not that difficult.
The guilt hangs in the air.
I keep walking.
Best that the last words out of my mouth were “I love you” rather than the myriad other phrases streaming through my brain.
Sleep well, my dears.
Love you.
middleofthemadness 
Thank you for writing this 🙂
Sometimes we just don’t have very “wonderful” bedtimes….and I get upset at myself….and then I remind myself that it’s going to be okay. The mornings are always better (well, except those that the three year old starts off with a whine!). Thanks for reading!
Lynne-I loved this entry! I think we had one of those nights last night too…and a lot of nights recently. Just started reading your blog & really enjoying it! Maybe we’ll see you on the turnpike again this summer?!? -Erin
Thank you, Erin. Those nights happen – and thankfully not every night! We’ll be traveling it for sure – probably towards the end of the summer! Thanks for reading!