What to do when your toddler gets up in the middle of the night.

  We have all been there.

Bedtime comes around, and the littles are bathed and dressed in adorable p.j.'s.  The bedtime story is read...and read again...and maybe just one more time.  Then, if you live in our house, they are "flown" to bed like super man, bat man or even spider man, complete with accompanying theme song. And of course they have to be wrapped up like a burrito...after we say our prayers.

Finally, the ritual is complete and you wander off thinking about all the wonderful things you are going to do with all of this free time.  

Dreams I tell ya. Just wispy dreams that fly away about 2 to 4 hours later.  

You know what you just heard, but you are in denial. 

It. 

Just.

Can't. 

Be.

But it's true. You heard those little feet hit the floor, and now they are heading your way.  

You brace yourself.  This will be easy. You can do this. You have done it before. You are the night night master. 

And he proves you wrong. At least for an hour or so. He has a cold. He is sniffly, and cranky, and wants to watch a movie "One day?" Or "In a minute." 

You are strong. You do not turn the movie on. You tell him calmly yet assertively that he must go to sleep.

It works. Almost. He squirms, tosses and turns. He wants to "play game" or "read a book one day". ("One day is the phrase of the week.)

Finally, after what seems like a lifetime he just falls asleep mid sentence. Just like that. Easy peasy. You knew you could do this! (You can barely make out Eye of the Tiger faintly in the background.) 

You tuck him back into bed, and that is when it hits you:

You are now wide awake.

Not groggy awake. No. This is full blown, I can take on the world, awake.

So, what do you do?

I will tell you what you do. You pray. You read. You pray some more. 

You contemplate washing a load of clothes, reorganizing the pantry and dusting the ceiling fans.  You did need to clean the baseboards didn't you?

You decide against it, and at some point(you aren't sure when) you fall asleep.

Ahhhh. Sleep.

Wait?! What's that sound?

My alarm clock already? 

Hmmm.  Well, I better get up. 

Chores and children await. 

So, what do you do when your toddler gets up in the middle of the night? You put him back to bed. That's what. And then you eventually go back to sleep so that you can start again on this beautiful parenting journey.

It's part of being a mom. A parent. An adult.

You do what you have to do, and you smile because you know that this season only lasts a short while. The snuggles, the questions, even wiping the little nose will eventually stop, and he won't need you in that capacity anymore.  

Ask me about it. My oldest is 20. That season is long gone for her.

It only lasts a little while. Do it with joy. Do it with gratitude. Do it with love. 

Then, after a few hours of sleep, wake up  prepared to do it all again. It's an honor. It's a privilege. 

Remember that.