Our routine for our incredibly particular little girl

Summary

A mother shares the unique and elaborate bedtime routine for her 3-year-old daughter, Raistlin, emphasizing the importance of creating special moments despite the exhaustion it sometimes brings.

Abstract

The article details the intricate bedtime routine of Raistlin, a 3-year-old girl with a strong preference for particularity and control. The routine involves choosing pajamas, brushing teeth, washing binkies, and a series of specific actions with her binkies, which are affectionately referred to as her "treasure." The routine extends to saying goodnight to the world, a meticulous blanket arrangement, and a reading session where both parents and Raistlin herself participate in reading books aloud. The mother reflects on the challenges and joys of this nightly ritual, acknowledging its demands while cherishing the bonding time and the creation of lasting memories for Raistlin. She expresses gratitude for her daughter's vibrant personality and the opportunity to provide undivided attention, despite the exhaustion that comes with such a detailed routine. The article concludes with an invitation for readers to like, follow, and subscribe to the author's stories on Medium.

Opinions

The author views the bedtime routine as both a challenging and rewarding aspect of parenting, highlighting the struggle but also the gratitude for such a routine.
There is a recognition of the temporary nature of these nightly rituals, with the author expressing a bittersweet sentiment about the fleeting moments of childhood.
The author believes in the value of undivided attention and creating a sense of security for their child through consistent routines.
The author finds humor and endearment in their daughter's insistence on specific details, such as the order of blankets and the reading of books in a particular manner.
There is an underlying pride in their daughter's adventurous and curious nature, as well as her capacity for love.
The author encourages reader engagement and support for their writing by inviting likes, follows, and subscriptions, indicating a desire to share more of their family's experiences and connect with a wider audience.

Our routine for our incredibly particular little girl

We have a 3-year-old daughter named Raistlin. She is kind, beautiful, smart, and full of love and life. She has blonde hair/blue eyes and will steal your heart! Like most three-year-olds, Raistlin is particular and likes to be in charge of most things. I have yet to read anything as unique about their child's bedtime routine other than the typical brush teeth, kisses, story time, and good night. I am excited to share our experience with you and I hope it will help you in one way or another and maybe remind us parents that we are not alone! It’s a struggle that I am personally thankful for but also can be pretty exhausting!

First, we say it's pajama time! Typically, she is pretty excited about this. I usually have two sets of pajamas and underwear for her to choose from. Usually I have a “cute or cozy” and she gets to decide what she feels like wearing for her dreams. We get dressed and usually she's doing a million other things during this to stall, because what three year old is ever actually ready for bed? Second, we brush her teeth and wash her binkies (I know, we REALLY have to get rid of the whole binky thing) and then we wash her hands and face. She likes to wrap her binkies in a towel for them to dry and she likes to call them her bag of “treasure”. We then go into her bedroom where she puts a little robe on and sits on the floor with me while we unravel her “treasure” and count her 3 binkies and put them in a cup (seriously, I hear you…we are working on eliminating them! Plus, it’s only for bedtime). After we are done counting, we put the cup into her bed, she grabs “Baby Jessy”, and I cover her up with a really warm and cozy blanket. We then make it out to the front door so that Raistlin can say Goodnight to the moon, stars, sky, and the rest of the world. Sometimes dad holds her, sometimes its mom. Depends on how she is feeling that day. We come back into the house and she turns on her bedroom lights, all by herself. She hangs up her robe and I help her into bed. She gets covered up with SIX blankets. Of course, they are all lightweight blankets and she kicks them off pretty much when the lights go out; But still… SIX blankets! She has every single blanket in a specific order. For example, putting the blue blanket over the pink one is a big no no! So, we count the blankets one through six. At this time, we are about half way through her routine. My husband will start to read a book called “Dad by My Side” and then, my daughter will read it back to us. After that book, he will read her “Baby Dragon”. He always does a funny voice for the baby dragon and she just loves it. After he reads it the first time, she then will read it back to us, but he will help her with all the silly voices. It's seriously adorable. Then, it's finally mommy's turn to read. I usually read “Not Your Typical Dragon” or “Molly’s Journey” and yes, you guessed it. My daughter reads it back to us, every time. After we finish reading the books, we can finally say we are at the end here! She will blow me kisses and her dad will “charge up” a kiss (he winds himself up by running in place and gives her big kiss). Finally, I give her the binkies and she's ready for bed! This is the routine we have for bedtime, every night. 7 days a week, never miss a beat.

I guess my point for writing this is this: If you think your child can be a little overwhelming at times because of the very specific routines and it feels like you will never make it to your own bed, just remember nothing lasts forever. I say that with the most genuinely sad and hopeful voice possible. As tiring as this can be…. I hope that she will always remember how special we wanted our time to be before starting a new day. I want her to remember that no matter what happens in the day time when she's at school, a doctor's visit or anything else- that she can always look forward to this, she can look forward to the undivided and fully devoted attention from the two people who love and support her more than anything in this world.

Yes, it is so very exhausting, especially after a long day at work/school and home activities. But 4 books and the rest of the routine is nothing compared to the rest of her life. We are so fortunate to have such a beautiful and energetic little girl who is full of adventure, curiosity, and so much love.

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