Good Night Darling - Letters to my children

Bedtime is honestly one of the best things ever (with the always parenting caveat of well rested and not hungry).

First everyone is in our huge bath with a few drops of Rob Wergin’s charged water. “Momma, did you put in God water?” The Bean is bright red from her waist down because the water is so so hot.

“God Water?” The Dragon sits on the edge of the tub until he feels ready to come down.

“Yes beloveds.”

We soak and talk and giggle and splash… I sidle by the thought that there seems to be less room for three of us then there was last year at this time.

Then everyone gets toweled down and we pair off. “Dragon, Mr Roar is putting you to sleep tonight.”

“No Momma!”

“Dragon, I put you to sleep last night and for naptime today. Tonight is Dada’s turn.”

“You get momma tomorrow night.”

“Thank you Bean, that is right, I will do you tomorrow Dragon. Now give me a squeeze and Dada can chase you.”

Small pudgy arms reach up to me and I reach down and feel his soft cheek on my chin as I hear a kiss somewhere near my ear.

Off they go for a chase and the Bean and I head to her room. She puts on her pajamas and negotiates the number of books.

“How many stories tonight?”

I glance at the clock. “Two short ones or one long one.”

A deliberate and inquiring body moves toward the bookshelf. She peers at the options - very focussed and serious, “How about this one?”

“Perfect!”

Book in hand, then snuggles into my lap on the yellow chair for a story. We have just started a children edition of the Odyssey and we are having many discussions about Hera and Athena being mad at Paris for giving Aphrodite the golden apple.

“Why did Paris need to be killed?”

“Well, the other goddesses were mad at him because he didn’t chose them - and they didn’t kill him directly - he was killed in the war. But he did get to live with Helen for quite a few years first.”

“Who was Helen.”

“The most beautiful woman in the world.”*

“Ohhhh.” I can see the wheels turning.

Then I put a rainbow colored bubble around her to keep the bears in her dreams away. Then it is goodnight.

For the Dragon nights, we go into his room and shut the door. The naked boy spends the next few minutes exploring the room, pointing out the apple trees on the rug, giggling as he sneaks behind the crib, going through the book choices before he will come to me on the chair and let me put his diaper/pajamas/sleepsack. Once he is cuddled we pull down stories: the current favorites are Good Night Good Night Construction Site and I Love you Sun, I Love you Moon.

Then I switch him from sitting on my right knee to my left knee and we talk about the day. Who woke him up, what happened that day…

“And then we saw the cherry picker being loaded while we were walking to your sister’s horseback lessons!”

“It was red!”

“It was red… and then what happened?”

“Ummmm.”

“Did we walk home and collect red and yellow leaves?”

“Coco chased them.”

“That’s right, Coco chased the leaves…. and then it was dinner time and bathtime and now what time is it?”

“Song time.”

“What song would you like?”

“Jenny Jenkins.”

“What colors?”

“Blue, pink, red, white.”

After song time I put him down in his crib (only a few more months of that methinks) and turn on his lullaby machine.

As I leave I say, “good night darling, I love you.”

And his 2 year old voice calls out from the dark, “Good Night Darling. Darling.”

“Darling.”

“Darling".”

Thank you my children for this amazing time with you both. I am so grateful and honored to be your momma and have this life with you.

*I look forward to reading a paper from her at some point of “Would you have made the same choice as Paris? Why or why not?”