One of the beneficial side-effects of our new work-from-home lifestyle is that between Zoom meetings and phone calls, Tom carves out some time to put Anna down for her nap every afternoon.
This is different than all of our other kids, who Tom almost never put down for naps because he has always been at work in an actual office during nap time.
In the past year, I’ve only occasionally put Anna down for her nap, but when I do I sing the same song I sang to her while I rocked and nursed her as an infant, the lullaby I’ve always sung before I put her to bed — the Doxology.
I’ve learned a lot since then, and would like to offer a warning to anyone who, like me, might think it would be a good idea to sing a hymn of praise as a lullaby to their baby. If you do this, it’s likely that when you go to worship, and the church sings the Doxology — Praise God from whom all blessings flow…
Your child might start screaming, “NO! NO IT’S NOT NI-NIGHT TIME!”
Praise Him, all creatures here below
“I’M NOT GOING TO BED!!!!”
Praise Him above the Heavenly host
And at the last stanza, she might start to get really desperate. She might try to wriggle out of your arms. She is insisting that it’s not time to go to sleep, but everyone keeps singing the sleep song! So she might recruit help from her fists and feet.
Praise Father, Son and Holy Ghost
Just like that, the song is over. She hasn’t been put to bed, it’s not nap time after all. She relaxes, and we all breathe a sigh of relief.
Amen.
I was helping my godsons eat breakfast and get dressed so we could hurry out to an event while their mother did whatever she was doing so that we could leave. They were maybe 3 and 2 at the time. The boys finished, and then I told them to hurry up and brush their teeth so that we could go. TOTAL meltdown. Evidently they were only brushing teeth at night, and screams of “I don’t wanna go Night-Night!!” lasted for a good fifteen minutes, making us incredibly late. How was I to know it was a once a day thing in that household????
hahahhahahah! yes! that’s exactly it! don’t try to sneak in that bedtime routine when it is NOT bedtime!
Oh we sing the Doxology at bed time too! Lately, we’ve had to praise the “Father, Son, and Holy Spirit” because ghost is too scary of a word at bedtime haha.
hahah! I get it! anna also makes me say “the end” instead of “amen.” which makes me roll my eyes every time. clearly she’s the boss!