“What do you want?” I yell (err, I mean, voice semiloudly) at my toddler in frustration after a very long day. It’s 10 p.m., and in a perfect world, she should have been in bed two hours ago.
This nightly wrestle with bedtime has become a normal routine in our household, and summer has only amplified the issue.
A true master at the art of prolonging bedtime, my daughter first learned that if she came out of her room saying she was hungry, she would get to come out and eat a snack. We caught on to that one after a few days (aka naive first-time parents).
Then, it became, “I need a drink of water,” and then, “Something is in my room!” and then, “I need to go potty.” And then, in one of her smartest attempts thus far, “I want Dad to take me to bed.” This is because said Dad is still outside taking advantage of the “cooler” summer evening.
I'll give her credit for learning to manipulate at such a young age, but the constant back-and-forth of, “What do you want?” and her indecisiveness have become quite draining.
Whether the bedtime battle is just a matter of not wanting to sleep or if there's something more going on, her struggle to clearly express her needs and my difficulty in understanding them is teaching me to be more patient and find better ways to support her. After all, everyone tells me, it’s just a phase.
Right?
While we, as adults, have hopefully moved past the tantrum stage and can better express our needs, as a business, it's still valuable to periodically check in and ask, “What do you want?”
Since Ag Proud – Idaho started in 2019, we’ve been committed to delivering content that’s all ag, all Idaho, all the time. Covering a state as diverse and influential in agriculture as Idaho is no easy task. To enhance our magazine for the next five years, we’ve created a survey to gather your thoughts and preferences.
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We know this probably isn’t the first survey you have received this year, and with harvest season approaching, we’ve made it easy for you to participate. You can complete it online here.
Thank you for being part of this journey with us. Now, if you'll excuse me, I might just want a nap.
