Worth the Wait

Bed time can be relentless.

I am a morning person...at times a 5:00 in the morning person.  Waking up that early means that at the end of the day (and sometimes before the end of the day) I am spent.  But before I can put myself to bed, I need to put the kids to bed.  Hence my opening statement.

Ross and I share this responsibility.  Most times we'll ask each child who they want to tuck them into bed--Mommy or Daddy.  I was recently joking with a girlfriend of mine about how this is one time that I wish I were not so popular!  "Mommy" is often the response from the kids after which they kiss Daddy good night and my wait begins.

What exactly is the wait you ask?  The wait is the period of time between each child going upstairs and actually being ready to be tucked in.  Sometimes, I know exactly what they are doing during the wait.  Brushing teeth, going to the bathroom, changing into pjs.  But in the case of my daughter, it seems like an unsolved mystery. It may have been a good 15 minutes since she's gone upstairs.  Naturally, I assume that she must have done all she needed to do in that time to be prepared for bed.  I knock on her door.

"Morgan, are you ready to be tucked in?"

"Uh, almost," is usually the response I receive.

"Did you use the bathroom yet?"

"No, not yet."

Ugh!  That means at least another 10 minutes between washing, brushing, etc.  This was the case last evening at bedtime.  I sat on my bed.  My side was turned back, the extra fuzzy blanket I use now that we've been having colder nights was in place.  The only thing missing was me all snuggled into the empty linens. 

As I sat waiting, my mind started thinking about the future.  Started thinking about Morgan dating, Morgan getting married.  I don't want her to succumb to the belief that she is not important enough to wait on.  I want her to feel now, especially as a young woman, that she is worth the wait, worth the time--worth my wait and worth my time. 

Hearing the bathroom door handle, brought me back to present day.  As I heard her approaching my room, I put on a pleasant face to greet her as she stepped into my doorway declaring, "Ready for bed."

Putting her to bed last night, I lingered.  Usually I provide a kiss on the cheek after prayers and high tail it out of there to get to bed or whatever task I have for that evening.  Instead I told her how proud I am of her.  How she even as a young lady has a reputation of kindness and integrity.  How much I love her.