The Standoff

Over the weekend, Isaiah and I had a standoff.

Saturday night we put him to bed, but for some reason, Isaiah decided that he did not want to sleep. After 15 minutes of crying and screaming, I went in to his room to see if I could calm him down. I noticed that Puppy was on the floor, so I retrieved it, and handed it to him. Isaiah immediately laid back down and started sucking his thumb. After rubbing his back for a few minutes, I started to make my departure, but he stood up and started to whine again. I said, "I'm still here, lay back down." And he did. After waiting a few more minutes, I started to open the door again, but the same result ensued. I told him to lay back down, and he did. Seeing a pattern beginning to emerge, I laid down on our bed and just waited. He obviously did not want to be left alone, so I decided to wait it out. In about 15 minutes time, he whined 2-3 more times, but each time I told him to lay back down. Finally, I was able to leave, and he slept through the night.

This is not normal behavior for Isaiah. But we were in a strange place and in a different bed. When we are at home, we lay him down, leave the room, and that's it. He may play and talk for a few minutes more, but he goes to sleep within 5-10 minutes.

As I laid on the bed during the Standoff, I began thinking about how many standoffs might be in my future. Would I have the patience for them? What might they be about? When do I stand firm and when do I let him make mistakes to learn on his own? I see this standoff as preparation, and hopefully it will strengthen me for the day when the standoff is about really serious things.