a prayer for 3:42am

For several nights in a row last week Henry woke up around 2 or 3 o'clock in the morning to start crying and pleading for me to "Lay down in my bed, Momma!" or "I'll lay down in your bed, Momma!"  For a full two hours -- me in and out of the room, worrying that Grant might need me at any moment. Or, even more ironically, Grant simply being asleep in one of his 3 hour stretches (a true gift) that is being underutilized by a fatigued momma.  Me growing ever more angry that my two year old, who used to reliably sleep through the night, is finding ever more creative ways to spend time with me any way he can. The "I need a drink of water" routine doesn't grab my attention nearly as quickly as the "I have to go potty!" alarm. (Yes, he still wears a diaper to bed. Yes, I still get him out of bed so he'll use the potty anyway).

Summoning my last few ounces of patience, I start mumbling a prayer, so that my anger and frustration might melt into empathy and understanding for the child that is used to undivided attention, but must now share the spotlight.

Dear Lord,

Please help my child be still, be calm, and be quiet. 

May he feel peaceful and secure in his bed. 

Calm his fears and dry his tears, 

so that we may all sleep and feel well rested.

Amen.

This prayer was repeated every 5 minutes, ad lib, until issues were resolved.

I've racked my brain to try to figure out the motive for Henry's sleepless escapades. Growing pains? Non-napping side effects? Too early, too late to bed? Too cold or too hot? Teething (we just cut the last 2 year molar in the last month or so)? Increased imagination? Something he saw on TV or a movie (in the middle of the night, he's ready to discuss an episode of Elmo's world that interested him)?

It seems as though it is mostly the adjustment to sharing Momma. I had a long heart to heart with him one night where I simply stated that "I was SO tired and needed to sleep in my own bed, next to Papa and Grant's bed, in case he needed me." [I fail to mention that Grant really sleeps right next to me, that probably won't help my case.] I went on to reassure him that "I had had a fun day with him, I love him very much and that he is such a good boy to sleep in his big bed with his stuffed dog as a companion and the blankets that Grandma made him." I don't know what made me go on this assurance tirade, other than the fact that he seemed to really need to hear it. And my prayer has been answered as long as I run through this mantra every night at bedtime.