Supposed To

photo courtesy of Advertise2Win

I hear her feet hit the floor with a thud and frankly, I'm annoyed.  It's 9:30 and I thought she was asleep.  She wanted me to lay down with her and I did and supposedly she was asleep when I left her room, but I guess I judged incorrectly because her curly hair and mischievous eyes are making their appearance on my stairs.  Again.

I really wish she would go to bed.  

I'm tired.  She's tired and I promise that her younger sister will be up at the crack of dawn tomorrow with little care as to what time mommy and the other siblings made it to bed.  

Here's my dilemma....

Do I get off the computer, take her upstairs, and put her back in bed?  Or do I finish my blogging and just ignore the fact that she should be in bed, but is instead down here?  

Guilt gnaws at me as the "good parent" and "bad parent" figures take their place on each of my shoulders and begin to tell me what should happen.  And you know, right then and there I have a choice.  I can either listen to them or I can tell them to shut up and go away.

I ponder for a moment.  Which choice will cause my child less therapy when they are 25?  Probably not the same one that will lend for a quiet evening and a finished blog post.  You know what, though?  There are bigger fish to fry tonight.  So I'm going to let her stay up.  

She "cooks" at her toy kitchen and I finish writing my post.  We then trek upstairs and with crossed fingers I lay her down again in her bed.....