Friday, May 02, 2008

My confession I have been a bad mother...........

So I will confess. I have seen this scenario on Super Nanny more than a few times, but I have finally dealt with my situation. Since last fall Breanna has not slept by herself. She has slept with me every night since then. In the beginning I know that I did it more for me than for her, which was selfish, and wrong. I needed her with me more than she needed me with her. I should not have done it, but I did. She has been sleeping with us ever since.
A few weeks ago I decided that she should be sleeping in her own bed, and she should be able to put herself to sleep.

So tonight I called on everything that I have learned from watching Super Nanny.

Jo says, put them to bed, tell your child that you will be back in 2 minutes, no matter what they do don't go back until the 2 minutes is over, then stretch it to 5 minutes, then 10, then 20, and so on until they are asleep. This insures them that you are still there even though they are not in the same room as you.

So I did this tonight. Jay and JJ were sleeping. Breanna needed to go to bed. So I went and put her in her own bed, she screamed and screamed. Then she said something that just BROKE MY HEART!!!! Earlier in the evening she had decided since mommy's hair was in a pony-tail that it would be fun to pull mommy's hair. So when I put her in her own bed she said "Mommy, I go with you, I don't pull your hair" uggghhh talk about pulling at the heart strings.

I stood my ground. I told her that she was in her own bed, not because she had pulled mommy's hair, but because she was a big girl and big girls slept in their own rooms. She cried and cried. I went back 5 minutes later and told her that I loved her and was so proud that she was being such a big girl and staying in her bed (even though at that point she wasn't, I just laid her back in her bed) . I went back in 10 minutes and she was still in her bed, and at 20 minutes she was still there too. I think she gets it now. Thanks Super Nanny!! In the matter of an hour I had my baby sleeping in her own room, and thinking that it was a good thing. Mommy wasn't mad at her, and that she was a big girl for sleeping in her own room.

So that is it. I have been a bad mommy, I was selfish and was letting her keep me company, but I have done the right thing and have let her go. Be a little more independent and let her know that mommy is still here, but she needs to sleep in her own bed.

Happy Birthday to my Mommy


My mom's birthday is tomorrow (May 3rd). I hope you have a wonderful day!! Here are somethings that I have learned from my mother over the years!!


If you listen to Van Halen, the Eagles, and Journey you too can be the coolest mom in the 7th grade.

Nothing is better than a Sunday afternoon drive through the “country” in a Camero convertible with the Isley Brothers playing "This old heart of mine", and the Nylons singing "Kiss him goodbye" .

“Yankees” think it is important to wear shoes during things like Thanksgiving dinner.

Mom’s can make any boo-boo better with a kiss and a hug.

Disneyland is a great place to be in the rain.

It can be great therapy to rearrange and obsessively clean your child’s room after they leave for college.

You aren’t doing your job as a parent unless one of your kids is mad at you for something.

If your husband is driving and one of your children is sitting in the front seat and says a feel sick, your husband then says to the child roll down the window, grab the other child and duck!! (your husband may decide to slow down sometime, but it will probably be too late!)

When the child in the above statement gets out of the car to throw up on the side of the highway, make sure you don’t stand in a pile of fire ants. I am sure it was quite a sight!

If you get a speeding ticket you can always try to get your kids to not tell dad by offering them ice cream in return. Just know if you are the mother to the “family informer” it may not work out.

Just because you go through all the training and test out dives to become a certified scuba diver doesn’t mean you will actually ever dive.

If you have a license plate with your name on it, people are going to know your name.

You can tell your kids the WHOLE time they are growing up that they can’t have a dog because you are allergic, as soon as both kids are out of the house you not only adopt a dog, the dog can actually sleep in your bed with no ill effects!

You can be against tattoos and motorcycles until you have a tattoo and a motorcycle yourself.

Even in Colorado Springs the temp at a NASCAR race can get soo hot that you feel sick and go and sit under the bleachers.

If you sing in the car with your kids while they are growing up they will think their mom is the BEST singer EVER!!

If you sing in the car with your kids while they are growing up, and happen to add your own lyrics into the song, when your kids are grown up and hear that song on the radio they will revert to singing those same made up lyrics during the song.

Egg salad sandwiches are the best thing to have for lunch at rest stops while on road trips.

Happy Birthday Mom!! Thanks for being the mom that I try to be. I am still learning how to be a great mom from you. You will never appreciate what it takes to be a mom until you are one. Till you can be covered in poop, puke, and have a screaming child in your arms at 2am and still be able to look down at the child and smile and know you love them more than anything. Then you realize that you mom has been in the same position with you and loves you just as much!! =)


P.S. Today I was driving to get lunch at the hospital and "Pour Some Sugar on me" came on the radio, I rolled my window down, turned up the music and sang out loud!! (just like my mommy)