Miss Delay Tactic

One of my favorite times of the day has to be bedtime, but I've got to say that my oldest loves pushing her bedtime back as far as she can. She's a master at it. Every night, I tell her the same thing. Get your pajamas, potty, brush your teeth, bath, get dressed, bed. I can't tell you how many times a night, I run through that list with her. Without fail, she usually tries to skip one or two steps.

When she finally does get dressed, she comes to my husband's office and says, `Repeat to the starting line. Repeat to the starting line.' Yes, she means `report,' but she's just so darned cute that we don't correct her. So then, I usually call a race down the hall between her and my husband. Every once in awhile, she enlists my help to block her dad's path so she can win. After a bedtime story, we tuck her in and give her a kiss good night. Before I leave, she'll ask me to `check' on her, then check on her baby sister, then come back and check on her again. I made the mistake once of telling her that I check on her several times before I go to bed. I usually give her a peck on the cheek and whisper, `good night, sweet princess.' I think it's comforting to her to actually hear it. I don't mind doing this at all. But now, I'm having to anticipate her moves even more. It seems the second I sit down to rest, I can hear her calling me from down the hall. She's either asking for water, a tissue, or me to leave the door cracked open. She's asking for me to talk to her dad in the living room because she likes being able to hear us. Did I give her the allergy medicine she takes at night? What's for lunch tomorrow? Did I remember to sign her binder? You name it, she's asked it.

She truly is our Miss Delay Tactic.