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I recently realized that walking the dogs is a lot like sending the child to bed. As we walk along in the chill my objective is to get done as quickly as possible so we can do something I like, such as be warm. The dogs, however--just like the child, have a different agenda. They find ways to dawdle. Every bush must be sniffed. Every puddle tasted. Every yard watered. Any excuse to prolong the experience must be savored and extended to the maximum time possible.
The child goes to bed the same way. I guess it makes sense that if the child was not hungry and didn't eat much at supper time that she would be hungry at bedtime. But no matter how much sense it makes, it is also annoying. And she must have a drink of water (but not out of a puddle) since once she has used her rinse she can't munch or slurp till the next morning.
Tooth brushing could take two hours if allowed. The amount of time spent just getting the toothpaste onto the brush can be counted in portions of an hour that are usually equal to that spent driving her to school--through three reduced speed zones--each morning. Flossing takes extra time, especially if you punctuate each tooth with a paragraph of no particular design. It would be fun to sing while swishing fluoride rinse, but she hasn't figured out how to accomplish that feat, yet. Give her time.
Incentives help. The dogs look forward to biscuits after a successful walk. The child looks forward to reading aloud when she finishes her evening routine in a timely manner.
Oh, and the man? He gives her a proper tickle with his beard as he kisses her good night, putting her down until the next day. After all, isn't that what "the man" is supposed to do?
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8 comments:
Does "the man" do the same with the dogs?
Is this where it starts? What Goo said in the last blog posts? Hmmmm.
You know--I am generally asleep when the man puts the dogs to bed. I'm really not sure. But he does tell me he experiences the same behavior from the dogs when he takes them walking.
And yes, I was referring to Goo's post about "the man keeping us down."
Yeah, but when we speak of a man "putting down a dog", it's something else entirely.
Good point, Goo. However, life and spirit are the same are they not?
I kind of like it when he puts on the dog. Of course, when he puts on the cat it is really the cat crawling onto his shoulders and riding around like a live muffler.
Haven't we wandered off track here?
my issue with cheeks isn't the dawdling before getting into bed. it's the talking to herself, making up stories for an hour or so ~after~ she's in bed that i have issue with. i have to be very careful though and make sure she's still awake before i say anything to her because she talks in her sleep too. i've had full conversations with that kid while she's been asleep. her dad is the same way. it's an odd thing to live with.
Oyster talks in her sleep, too. She generally doesn't converse, though, but has on occasion. However, it is very obvious that she is not really awake and the responses she gives to answers in this state are totally nonsensical. Come to think of it, sometimes when she is wide awake her responses are nonsensical.
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