Sneetch and Song

We have a bedtime ritual for Connor because it seems the only thing we can do to convince him that it’s actually bedtime. Bedtime as opposed to a climb out the crib fest. Generally Jorma puts Connor to bed and I put Tristan down. I’m not sure how we managed to do it with the chaos that is our life but we’ve gotten both to the boys go to bed at the same time. Tonight, was Jorma’s boys night out so I put Connor to bed.
After brushing teeth and sitting on the potty we always read a book. Tonight we started with Cat in the Hat, about three pages in Connor decided that we had to read about the Star Bellied Sneetches instead. This is a bedtime ploy that he uses to extend the reading time of a book. He figures, if he just hands you a book once you get about halfway through and repeats with all 20 of the books next to his night time reading chair that you’ll fall asleep before he does. And then he would be free to run through the house playing in the toilets and throwing handfuls of cat food down the stairs.
And he’s SO convincing. We MUST read the SNEETCHS. NOW. Then in a wailing cry he starts saying, “SNEEEETCHS!” Until you are finally so wowed that your very own kid likes a book that much that you say, ok. Sneetchs.
Now I personally like the Sneetchs story and I’m always happy to read it. So I was a little bit put off when it was suggested three pages later that “I DO NOT LIKE DE SNEETCHS!!!” and Perky the Fish was requested. When I refused Perky he tried with 10 Little Animals and then Dora, explaining to me, “This one, Mommy! This one!”, but I, already beaten for the night, decided that maybe it was just time for bed. Because maybe Connor wasn’t tired. But Mommy sure was.