On Duty for Bedtime...

This might be very short and not very detailed but this has been routine in my house at bedtime for the last few months:

Dalton goes to bed
Dalton gets up and plays on his dresser
Mommy whoops Dalton
Dalton gets out of bed again.......
Dalton hides in closet
Mommy whoops Dalton
THIS continues for hours.......no wonder why I cant sleep :(

THIS ROUTINE IS EXHAUSTING
(mind you Russ is usually in bed at 7 because of his work shift....)

So this weekend I decided enough already...I did some reading on toddlers and their bedtime wars. Here's what I found.
YOU HAVE TO BE A NATIONAL GUARD.......

What?
Yes!!!

Dalton goes to bed...kiss kiss hug hug
I sit right outside his door...
He gets up
I whoop booty
He gets up again.....
I whoop booty
(I am thinking there is just no way, but honestly there is just no way we can keep doing this every night)
Just at Christmas I was sharing with my family about how Dalton is SO good in his big boy bed "he never gets out" my family tried to warn me then that my time was coming!!! Boy did it ever!

Since he had NO nap today which by the way is considered overtime for this guard because I did this above routine for TWO FULL HOURS this afternoon (a total of 5 whoopins)....not kidding! Dalton WAS going to bed at 7pm tonight!

He got on jammies
kiss kiss hug hug....even read a story about OBEYING MOMMY AND DADDY! :)
He gets in bed
I sit outside door, playing game on phone and texting my sister and Gabby back and forth about how horrible of a Mommy this has made me feel. Like when they are infants and your pediatrician tells you they have to cry it out, they will eventually go to sleep..Yet, knowing he must not break me! Well without a doubt........

Here he comes
I whoop booty
Here he comes again...........
I whoop booty

8pm: one hour later(only 2 whoopins), I am leaned up against the dryer, texting and contemplating actually falling asleep right there on the floor. I won tonight. I held to my guns and stayed strong. However I am purely exhausted more mentally than physically. I know some of my readers might think this is wrong and that I am cruel but I will raise a strong boy and he will respect his Mommy and Daddy. Him getting up like that is dangerous, climbing on dressers or hiding in his closet....is dangerous. He doesn't know that and so I have to teach him. I teach him with CONSISTENCY and STRENGTH!

My Mom said there is a age at every stage.......if that's the case what in the heck is age 4 gonna bring me?!

Dear Bubby,
Mommy loves you and I tell you this all the time. Even after I bust your booty! You will learn...you are so smart and quick. It is true though when they say you will love me no matter what, because after our nap ordeal this afternoon you just cuddled right up on the couch with me.

Tomorrow will be another battle and you are not going to win that one either bubby...