Reasonable Judgment

Ella has been sleeping in her big girl bed for a few months now. We were very nervous about the transition but she has really stepped it up. She's sleeping better than ever and really, really loves snuggling into her little mattress on the floor each night. The best part has been that she has never gotten out of bed and left her room without permission. Strangely, it is as if she's still behind the bars of the crib and she calls for us to get up every morning. We get no trouble from her at bedtime, she never shows up in the middle of the night, and she waits for us to come get her when it is light outside in the morning...

...Until last Friday night, when she got out of bed without permission for the first time ever. She was having a rough night of sleep, whining a bit, and we went in to check on her a few times. We finally said we weren't coming back to check on her and she should go to sleep. We all went to sleep. About an hour later Ella was calling for us again. We were ignoring her. She was calling. We were ignoring. Next I hear some footsteps and I'm getting ready to be Mr. Tough Guy Dad. She's standing next to our bed, I roll over to tell her what's what, I start to say, "Ella, you can not get out of your bed. You march right back..." And she throws up all over me.

She was right. She needed us and she needed to break a rule to get us. She used the reasonable judgment I think we all hope our children will develop and be able to use as 2 year-olds, teenagers, and adults. I was embarrassed I was about to yell at her and it was really gross, but I was so proud of my big girl and her wise decision.