It’s Like a Rock the Baby Thing

Last night I came upstairs after bedtime to find my mother-in-law reading a story to my children in the closet (where their bookshelf is).   I looked at the clock and it was past bedtime—past bedtime and homework wasn’t done.  

The children’s homework is reading.   My daughter and son sometimes take turns reading their things and one parent listens.   Other times we divide up and take a child each and they read to us and we help where needed.  

So last night we were behind schedule and no reading was being done, save my mother-in-law reading to them, and she doesn’t need help in learning how to read.    I was about to say something but I stopped myself and realized, it’s like a rock the baby thing.

When my children were babies we worried (okay, I worried) that they wouldn’t learn to soothe themselves to sleep if we set a precedent of rocking them to sleep every night.  Or singing to them.   Or rubbing their backs.   Or any number of things that required an adult to help the child get to sleep.

My mother-in-law said one time that it couldn’t hurt to rock them to sleep once in a while.   She was the one wanting to rock the baby to sleep.   And she was right, the children go to sleep just fine on their own.   No habits were made and no harm was done.   And it was enjoyable for my mother-in-law.

So I walked out of the room and let her read and didn’t say anything.   They can do their homework other nights when they’re not visiting.   They’ll be reading everything before we know it.

The Big Boy Update:  I told my son to hurry and brush his teeth as we were late to bed.  My son then said, “why is it you never hurry when I want you to?”

The Tiny Girl Update:  My daughter has been invited to have breakfast at school with the school mascot tomorrow.   She was selected by a teacher for her good manners.   She is very excited.