Duped by my two-year-old

I've found myself trying to explain life with Roman a few times lately. Maybe I'm looking for understanding? Encouragement? Reassurance that we will survive? He's 2 1/2 now and absolutely precious. He's hilarious and loving, eager to help and just adorable. He's also the epitome of two. He's a non-stop ball of insane energy. He's emotionally intense - very excited and happy and also furious depending on the moment. He is into everything and sometimes scares us with his curiosity and daring nature. He's also big for his age, making him harder to hold or carry and also making people assume his behavior should be appropriate to an older child. (Today someone asked me if he was three or four.) He also doesn't sleep much. I mean, we put him to bed and make him stay there, but he's awake, fussing, playing, getting up... on and on... sometimes until three hours after bed-time!

There was an evening last night when we had gotten them both into bed and I cried (just a little) out of sheer exhaustion and feeling so overwhelmed by the constant battle that is mothering Roman. Jeff comforted me, but also laughed a little bit, amused by it all. Two days later Jeff spent 30 minutes getting Roman dressed and ready to go somewhere in the morning, then promptly lay down on the bed and told me "Roman is exhausting!"

On to my story...

In an effort to get him to stay in bed and hopefully fall asleep faster at night, I made a "Roman stayed in bed" sign and showed him how he would get to put stickers on it if he stayed in bed. I talked about how we would be so excited... Then we decided to practice. (Trey was at VBS during this - it was just me and Moe. Jeff came home for something while it was going on, you'll see where he fits in the story...) We put one of the stuffed animals in bed, left the room, waited, then went back in and said "good morning" and told the animal how good it did staying in bed, etc., etc. I tried to get Roman to do it. He didn't buy it. So I said I would do it. He tucked me in, left the room, then came back and celebrated with me my staying in bed. I tried again to get him to do it. No go. He told me he wanted me to do it again, so I lay down, got tucked in and Roman went out. I waited for him to come back. And waited. And waited. I began to wonder what was going on. But, if I were to get up or call to him, I wouldn't be staying quietly in bed as I was supposed to. I waited longer. Then I heard Jeff come in and heard Roman's protests that are typical of him getting caught red-handed and not wanting to be punished. That's when I got up. I headed downstairs to see what was going on. Roman had tucked me in, then gone downstairs and gotten into my purse (strictly forbidden!), found my gum and was shoving it in his mouth (even more strictly forbidden!). That's when Jeff had walked in. I couldn't decide whether to laugh or cry, so I did a little of both. And do you know what Roman said to me? "Mommy, you didn't stay in bed!"