Going To Sleep

Going to bed when my sisters and I were between the ages of 4-10 was like pulling teeth. My mom would casually drop hints that it was "about that time" or "it's getting late" etc. and my sisters and I would sit around like we didn't hear her. Finally, she would say "up the golden stairs!" which meant this was the point of no return. No matter how much we pleaded, begged and protested we were going to bed. I am not really sure where this saying came from (Mom, can you enlighten us?) but for some reason it was always the ultimatum of bedtime in our house.

Of course my sisters and I would always drag our feet getting ready for bed. First, we would quietly sing 3 times in our head "Jesus Loves Me" as we brushed our teeth to make sure we brushed long enough. Second, we would take time picking out P.J.s which usually ended up being a big t-shirt. Then, it was "Mom, read us a book!" and the picking out the book/reading process. Next, was the desperate attempt to stay up longer saying "I'm thirsty/hungry." Finally it was "Mom, sing to us."

There were several staple songs that my mom would sing when she sang us to sleep. One of those, was obviously "My Favorite Things" as previously mentioned. Some of the others were; Tis a Gift to be Simple, Amazing Grace, You are a Masterpiece, Great is Thy Faihtfulness, and my personal favorite, "Stubborn Love" - originally recorded by The Great Amy Grant and Michael W. Smith...classic.

On special nights my mom would sing and scratch our backs or play with our hair at the same time. This is heaven. If you have never had it done I recommend calling your mom right now and demanding a back scratching. I have distinct memories of being really glad I got stuck with the bottom bunk on these nights.

My mom would sing until we fell asleep or so she thought... Over half the time we were faking it. Every kid does this, and for some reason, every kid knows the special tricks to making it believable. Breathe heavily and lightly flutter your eyes like you are in REM. It's a great trick works every time. I digress... When I would fake sleep I remember my mom singing through her repertoire of songs, and then she would get up to leave and quietly whisper "I love you." Leaving the room in a peaceful state with one final flutter of light from the hallway as she closed the door.

Little did she know my sisters and I would be up in about 5 mins. playing My Little Ponies and talking to the wee hours of the night. (What do 7 year olds talk about that late anyway?!)

Eventually my parents would hear us and the night would end in spanking threats and a wooden spoon on the dresser for sleeping-scare-tactics. They rarely followed through with a spanking, because even though my mom read, gave us water, scratched our backs and sang, for some reason the thought of a spanking was one of the most effective ways of putting us to sleep.

However, I am glad my parents didn't just start with the spanking as the method for putting us to bed because I do cherish the moments when mom sang to us. I can't wait to have little ones of my own when I can share special times like that with them.