The Work in Progress Mommy

If you’re a parent of a toddler, you probably think bedtime is about lights out and quiet rest... Wrong! Bedtime with my 3.5-year-old is more like a full-on, Jurassic-sized negotiation, starring dinosaurs, goddesses, and an endless thirst for stories.

The Setup: Bedtime? More Like Storytime Marathon!

Every night, I announce, “Okay, time for bed!” Cue the tiny human’s eyes going wide like I just declared a volcano eruption in the living room.

And then comes the flood of requests:

• “Tell me a story about T-Rex and Triceratops meeting at the watering hole!”
• “What if Stegosaurus and I were best friends and we played with my toys?”
• “Can Goddess Lakshmi and Goddess Durga come visit my dinosaur friends?”
• “Tell me about the Velociraptor who found a magic blanket with my name on it!”

Her blanket is a dinosaur encyclopedia, apparently, because she rattles off names like a mini paleontologist on caffeine, and expects multiple new stories every single night about these prehistoric pals. And not just about dinosaurs, oh no, she blends mythology and dinosaurs like a bedtime smoothie no one ordered.

The Plot Twist: When Sleep Is the Enemy… and 1 AM Is Party Time

After hours of storytelling, we finally reach “The End,” right?
Wrong again. That’s when the real fun begins.

She suddenly remembers 37 more questions about how Durga rides a lion who goes to war with a naughty dinosaur, or whether Lakshmi gives blessings to Stegosaurus, or if her teddy bear can roar like a Velociraptor. And it’s adorable, yet funny, the way she pronounces all the names so well, like she went to a paleontology class.

Meanwhile, I’m trying not to yawn so hard I turn into a human wind tunnel. At 1 AM, I start to suspect she’s secretly a nocturnal dinosaur herself, and I’m the one trapped in her time zone.

The Lesson: What I’m Learning from My 3.5-Year-Old Dinosaur-Goddess Storyteller

Bedtime is a creative brainstorming session.
Who needs Netflix when you’ve got a toddler weaving tales of dinosaurs, goddesses, and talking toys at midnight?

Patience isn’t just a virtue, it’s survival.
I’ve learned the art of hearing “one more story” approximately 82 times in a row and narrating a story with a straight face. Not to miss this… her own lovely stories, that she narrates, and the questions she has at the each of one, that literally blows my mind. (Seriously, if there were a PhD in bedtime patience, I’d be Dr. Bedtime.)

Imagination knows no bedtime.
Apparently, the night is the perfect time for T-Rex and Durga to join forces in epic adventures on my daughter’s blanket-turned-kingdom.

Love is the real bedtime magic.
Even when I’m half asleep, those moments of storytelling, cuddles, and silly questions remind me why this crazy bedtime battle is worth it. Every moment I spend talking to her and listening to her, I some how manage to love her a little more than I did a minute ago. And I didn’t even know that was possible!

My strategies (for the future) of trying to “Win This War” (Without Losing My Mind)

• “The Dinosaur Story Limit”: Because even the fiercest T-Rex has to rest eventually. We agree to pick three dinos per night and stick to it. (Mostly.)
• The “Question Jar”: All those midnight questions go into a jar to be answered the next day. I have to admit, I am not the smartest or quickest post mid-night.
• Incorporating humor: I’ll tell her, “If you don’t sleep, the dinosaurs might stomp over into our bedroom and put me to bed instead!” I am hoping this gets me giggles and yawns and finally she falls asleep.
• Coffee and cartoons: For me… Because if I’m going to survive the Battle at Bedtime, I need reinforcements.

Final Thoughts

If your toddler’s bedtime looks like a prehistoric, divine storytelling marathon, welcome to the club! One day, she’ll sleep through the night like a normal human, or a normal dinosaur. Until then, keep your sense of humor handy, your patience stocked, and your dinosaur blanket close.

Good luck out there, and may your nights be short and your coffee strong!