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My five year old, Maddie, has had some sleep issues for the last
nine months. She has woken my husband and me up by crawling into our
bed more nights than I care to count (and no, this is not particularly
healthy for our relationship – I need say no more). She got so sneaky
after a while that she’d un-tuck the sheets at the end of the bed in
the middle of the night, slither from the foot of the bed to the
pillow, and take over the entire center of the bed like a well-executed
military plan. By morning, my husband and I would be sleeping while
clinging to the edges of the bed in an effort not to fall off.
Several months ago we came up with a solution that at least allowed
us to sleep through the night, if nothing more. Every night I’d place
her sleeping bag on the floor between my side of the bed and our dog’s
bed so that when she came in during the middle of the night, she could
get into her sleeping bag and go back to sleep. Our queen-sized bed
suddenly felt like the king that it is not; I wasn’t waking up with
bruises from her hands or feet as she tossed and turned; I no longer
have a stiff neck because my pillow is mine again.
We told Maddie that when she turned five that she’d be a big girl
and would no longer be allowed to sleep in our room and that she had to
choose where she wanted to sleep every night. Her older sister,
Isabelle, really wanted Maddie to move into her room. So much so, that
Isabelle has been extra nice to Maddie for the last month. Isabelle
went as far as telling Maddie that the room didn’t have to be called
“Isabelle’s room” anymore, that it could be called “Maddie and
Isabelle’s room”.
Isabelle almost convinced her younger sister but found it hard to be
the older sister and not call rank on her younger sibling every so
often. I think Maddie appreciated Isabelle’s efforts judging by her
smiles, but always ended up saying that she thought she really just
wanted her own room. Watching my kids during this time has been
amazing. I never would have imagined that five and six-year old
children could truly master the art of manipulation and develop such a
fine understanding of leverage and power.
Three weeks after Maddie’s fifth birthday, we told her that it was
time for her to make a decision. She chose not to move in with her
sister. She held her stance despite Isabelle’s peer pressure and
obvious disappointment. However, Maddie did decide to switch her
bedroom with our small guest room that just happens to be across from
Isabelle’s room. Perhaps having a room of her own, and being within
whispering distance from her sister was the best of both worlds after
all. I have learned never to under estimate my children and that I
probably don’t have a shot in hell in out-manipulating them.
