Battle of Wills

Since the day she was born, my daughter has been strong willed. I know it's a trait that will serve her well in adult life. In the meantime, it makes life interesting. A week ago, my parents came for dinner and stayed to play some cards. Of course, she had no interest in bedtime since grandma and grandpa were over. Every attempt to put her in bed was unsuccessful. Finally, after putting her to down several times, we decided to ignore the unacceptable behavior. It was late. She was tired. She knew it was bedtime. As we played our game in the kitchen, she stood at the top of the stairs whining about how she wasn't tired (long past her bedtime). We kept playing. Over a period of time, she slowly inched her way down the stairs until she finally gave up. We hoped she would give up and go to bed herself. No such luck. She gave up the fight most reluctantly as she literally fell asleep where she was. On a step. That couldn't have been comfortable. But, that's my strong willed girl. Parenting is so hard, especially when you don't know what is the best thing to do for the situation. We just know that once you pick your battle, you cannot lose. This was an especially tough one. And look how cute she is when she's asleep.