When Will I LEARN?

I’m constantly telling people that babies/children/kids THRIVE on a routine yet I’m not sure when I’ll ever learn that my kids CANNOT have their routine broken or they throw fits, tantrums, have melt-downs, etc.  WHEN WILL I LEARN???  Monday we stay home, T/TH we have pre-school, Wednesday we run errands and maybe have a play-date and Friday we always have a play-date or go somewhere special.  My boys wake at 7 and get a glass of milk first thing.  They eat breakfast shortly there-after and then have a morning full of books and play.  By 11:45, lunch is on the table.  They both nap at 1, maybe 1:15 and wake btwn 3 & 4.  They have a light snack upon waking and then dinner is on the table at 5:30.  Daddy walks in the door at 6:30 and then they all play outside.  Their bed-time routine starts at 7:30pm and by 8:00pm, they are tucked in their beds, lights out and we do it all over again the next day.

I KNOW THIS IS THEIR SCHEDULE.

I KNOW THIS IS THEIR ROUTINE.

I KNOW THEY THRIVE ON THIS SCHEDULE.

Yet somehow, without a doubt, EVERY. SINGLE. TIME. I push them or change their routine by allowing them to say, play longer at the park, stay up later to visit with friends or family, rush them in the morning instead of allowing them to eat breakfast at the table… I PAY FOR IT.  Every time.  They have meltdowns, tantrums, find new attitudes they want to share, throw fits….  Its my own fault.  Well today, I’m paying for it.  Rocco’s cousin is in from out of town and yesterday we had 18 bodies in our house. 18.  I mean, that right there threw their routine off but in a great way!

It was fun & fabulous, a day full of candy, egg hunts, play time, movies, good food and lots of laughter!

So what’s wrong?  I allowed my 2 toddlers to stay up late.  ooo big deal?  Well, for us, YES.  It is.  And I’m not talking 30 minutes past bed-time “late”… more like 2 HOURS past bed-time.  Why do I do this every time we have friends or family over to our house?  Its like I think this will be the time they are fine!  This will be the night I can change their routine.  NO!  I knew it would turn into something – it turns into something if they stay up 40 minutes late when we have another couple for dinner.  So, with a later bed-time came their moods.  The silliness.  The BAD behavior.  And while Rocco thought it would be fun to whack Roman with a wet towel hitting his ear and soaking the side of my body during bath-time, Roman found his silliness during prayer time.  I mean really, it was my fault- I should have known better.  It was 2 HOURS past their bed-time.  Do you think they slept in?  Absolutely NOT.  And then, I paid for it again today… Rocco woke exhausted and I was not giving in to staying out longer this afternoon only to have a brutal night with them again.  I know my kids like no one else.  And I know they need their sleep.  I also know that no matter how FINE they seem to be doing to everyone else in the moment, I’ll pay for it.  Well, wouldn’t you know, we got home & Rocco didn’t even fight me to take a nap.  He was OUT cold by 1:15

ZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz… its 3:30pm and they are both still sound asleep.

What I need to learn or maybe its something we can all learn is that we keep our children’s schedule flowing; whatever that ‘schedule’ may be.  They rely on us to do so and thrive on the routine we create for them.  Throwing them off may be fun in the moment but detrimental to the sweet little beings they are.  Think about yourself!  If you’re out having a good time and stay up hours past your usual bed-time, it may be fine that night but in the morning, you’re tired, groggy, moody, etc. Right?  SAME GOES FOR KIDS!  So why push it?  I pushed it.  and I learned my lesson.  I should know that we found a system that works for our children long ago and during fun times like these when family is in, I just need to stick with what they are used to so that everyone stays happy.  I’m learning… and smiling through it!  Even through the tantrums, we’re having a fun family weekend! and my sister-in-law even volunteered to take Beau back home to Atlanta with her.  I think he knows somethings up.

Hope you have a beautiful Easter with your family!

xo

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