I love sleep! I could lounge around in the bed for most of the day if I were a wealthy woman. I want my eight hours every night. It is a very rare evening that I manage to stay awake to finish watching the local news or The Daily Show. I love sleep!!! I mean...doesn't everyone? When I was a younger lassie my father would wake me up by flipping on my light and yelling, "Wake up and piss Sherri Lynn, the world's on fire!" I hope that does not offend anyone but that is what he said. Later on, he would just turn my stereo on real, real loud.

Anyway, I love sleep and would truly expect any of my offspring to genetically love sleep too. In fact, I am sleepy right now! But, it seems that one of my offsprings is not quite so keen on the idea. Wanna guess who? Of course, Sir Dantes. Let the bedtime wars begin.

Follow up:

Come with me back five or so years ago when Sir Dantes was a baby. When he was in the crib his sleep routine was not a huge concern. Even if he was awake and I was sleepy, he was safe in the crib. I had no worries if I nodded off for awhile. Plus, his daddy is the opposite of me and likes to stay up late, so there was someone usually awake while he was. After Sir Dantes graduated into the toddler bed we had a few very late nights. I think the new found freedom was something he had to explore, which is normal. After a few weeks the routine settled back in and he would go to sleep fairly easily. From then until this last week or so Sir Dantes went to bed without much fanfare. We have a routine (something autistic children prefer) and he knows the drill. Dinner, a little playtime, baths, a book, bedtime. It has been this way night after night for a few years now and he has seemed to embrace the routine.

He even went so far as to turn off his Mario Brothers game, close the cabinet to the television, and turn off his light. And, he wanted to do it. If I tried to help him by turning off the light, he'd get upset and turn it back on so he could turn it off. Lovely! What is this silly problem that these other parents of autistic children have getting their child to bed? Ha! I have mastered routine! I have mastered the bedtime problem! I am a master! Or, so I thought. Since the holidays bedtime has been a pain in my rear!

The mention of taking a bath causes Sir Dantes to run away from me down the hallway. So, I chase him down. "Let's take your shoes off, your clothes, put them in the hamper." This he will do but as soon as he's naked, he is down the hall again screaming. "Sir Dantes! Get in here. It is time for a bath!" "Ms. Maxie, is your brother in there?" She shoos him out of her room. "Sir Dantes, Mommy said it's time for a bath". Here he comes running back down the hall. But, I know he's coming and snatch him by the arm as he tries to run by. Okay, in the tub. This part, the getting him clean, is not a problem. He seems to enjoy the bubbles from the soap and the rest of the actual bath goes well.

Teeth brushed and hair brushed, fingernails clean; okay Sir Dantes go play for a minute until we read. Now, Ms. Maxie's turn. She loves taking a bath because most of the time I let her shower by herself now and she loves feeling more grown up. Once she's done it is time for a book. Sir Dantes use to sit and look with a lot of intensity. Now, he's up; he's down. He goes to get a train and then back to sit down. Then he runs into the kitchen and back. I have decided to stop pausing the story and just let him decide if he's going to pay attention. After all, it is story time for both him and Ms. Maxie. Stories done and now it is time to tell daddy good-night. This is still going well. He loves his daddy and is happy to go hang out with him for a few more minutes. The trouble starts when it is actually time to lay down and stay in the bed.

As much as I love my children, during the work week I look forward to tucking them in. I get up before six in the morning and by the time 8:30/ 8:45 rolls around I am ready to sit down and relax. This may seem a little early to some but most health professionals agree that children the age of our children need 10 to 12 hours a day for optimal health. Since they need to be up by 6:30 during the week to get ready for school, by going to bed at 8:30 they should be averaging 10 hours of sleep.

Ms. Maxie is a lot like me. Once her pretty little head hits the pillow she is out! She sleeps so deep and hardly even changes position while she is sleeping. Sir Dantes, up until recently, took a little longer to be asleep; but he would stay in the bed. Usually within thirty minutes he would also be asleep and then, yes, I can go to sleep as soon as I am ready. The ability to go to bed at nine-thirty is a beautiful thing. But, that may be ending and it scares me!

Several nights in a row now he will get up and go in the living room to watch Cartoon Network. Or, he will grab some more food. He likes to sneak into the office and start rummaging through various items. Most of the nights, it is the television he wants back on. But, I will not give in. I think that this is important. He needs the routine and he needs sleep. Sleep is so, so important. Not only will he continue to grow physically healthy and mentally strong; the next day goes without many meltdowns. Less sleep = more meltdowns. That there is reason enough!

So, is this when most parents turn to the melatonin? Although a "natural" supplement (meaning that it is found in all living creatures), it does come with some side effects: headaches, mood changes, faster heartbeats, etc... So, would you lower the dosage or get more drugs to deal with the side effects? Is melatonin a gateway drug in the world of autism? We really do not want to go down that road. I want to keep him drug-free. I realize that may not be possible given whether or not his autistic tenancies lessen or increase in severity as he grows. But, I think that the age of four/ five is a little young to start down this road. Am I being a bit naive? Smart? Crazy and a glutton for punishment?

A few weeks of discomfort is a little soon for us to make that type of decision. We will keep trying the good old "because I said so" method a bit longer. However, I wouldn't mind some feedback from our readers who have made the decision to give their children melatonin and from our readers who are autistic that take it. On that note, it is past my bedtime so good-night all and sleep well.