I have always hated going to sleep. Even as a child, I always needed an extra drink, another trip to the bathroom, another story, etc. I'm sure all of you that are parents can probably relate and probably get somewhat frustrated sometimes when your children don't fall asleep. While I personally can't sympathize with you, I know someone who can. His name is Luis.
I have yet to outgrow my childish bedtime routines. I still hate going to sleep. It is not that I hate sleeping in any way. Once I'm asleep, I have to sleep for at least 9 hours in order to feel rested. But I absolutely hate the process of going to sleep. If I had it my way, I'd stay up all night long. And it is not enough for me to just stay awake, I like having company. So generally Luis and I will get into bed to go to sleep. He says goodnight and I say, "Can we cuddle for a little bit?" He has gotten really good at putting on a happy face and complying. When he starts to fall asleep I roll over and pretend to be annoyed. That way he is forced to wake up again to find out if I am really annoyed with the following exchange:
Luis: Are you mad at me
Me: No
Luis: Yes, you are
Me (in a voice as sincere as I can make it): No, I'm not
Once he is satisfied that I'm nor really upset, he then tries to go back to sleep hoping that I will just leave him alone and fall asleep too. This never works. When I realize he is not going to say anything else to me, I proceed to poke him and talk to him until he finally gets so fed up that he threatens to go sleep on the couch. I don't take him seriously until he actually gets up and starts to walk out of the room. At which point I jump up and drag him back. By then 45 minutes has gone by and I'm good and ready to fall asleep :)
