Tough love

Sometimes we all wake up on the wrong side of the bed, but when a 3-1/2-year-old girl wakes up on said wrong side after a couple of nights of sleep deficit, making it through the day is like navigating a minefield. You never know what's going to make her blow.

The sleep deficit comes from her newfound realization that she can get out of bed with her flashlight, find books and toys in her room, and stay up until 10 or 11 playing. Now, we thought it was just a one-night thing (poor, misguided souls that we are) and let her have the flashlight again the next night. Surprise, surprise -- it happened again. So, tonight -- after meltdowns that occurred over getting out of bed, getting dressed, not being able to change tutus, not being able to eat dinner downstairs in front of the TV (where did THAT come from?), having to rinse off after her bubble bath, and not being able to select War & Peace as her bedtime book -- she has been put to bed sans flashlight in the hopes that maybe she will be asleep before we watch the episode of West Wing we TiVoed over the weekend.

We're trying to teach her that actions have consequences, but it's not a lesson she wants to learn.