The Tango Lucas: A Bedtime Routine
The Tango Lucas is a complicated dance. It starts at 7:30pm. It starts that early because, if we’re lucky, it’ll be over by 9. That’s a long time to hold a rose between your teeth.
You want to learn this dance? It’s not easy. But let me teach you.
First it goes, “Time for bed, Lucas!”
Then it goes, “Just one more minute, Mama.”
Next it goes, “No, let’s go buddy.”
And then it goes, “Just one more very very one more minute!”
We sashay into the bathroom where we begin the brushing of the teeth. We wrangle over the toothbrush, the toothpaste, how long to brush, keeping the faucet running, turning the faucet off, spitting in the sink, spitting down the front of his shirt. We finally do a hop-skip into Lucas’ room.
In the second section of this dance, the power struggle amps up a notch. While I try to slow things down into a waltz by reading a book, Lucas keeps me on my toes with a hundred and one questions about the fan, the Bandaid on his leg, how come cups don’t breathe underwater, and why can’t he touch Mama’s boobies? It’s like we’re doing two different dances at this point.
Try and keep up because the third section of this tango is where things get really spicy. Just when you think the dance is going to end, Lucas surprises you with requests for water, having to take the randomest 8:15pm dump, or picking his nose and danglinng the booger above your face. I call this part the “backwards tango.”
Finally, the finale. I lay down and pretend I’m dead. Literally don’t move a muscle because if I do, that’s cause for starting the dance all over again. Better not have an itch on your nose. It’ll result in, “Mama, what’re you doing?” Better dare not check your phone to see what time it is. The glow from the screen will roll you back to the intro, and you were just getting excited about the idea of pulling those thorns out of your mouth.
Now here’s the trick to this whole routine. Just when Lucas has finally stopped whirling around and whispering to himself, just when you’ve had about three minutes of quiet, just when you hear what you think are the slow breathing sounds of sleep, just when you get ready to step forward and take a bow, that’s when he gets ya.
“Mama, I’m hot! I need to change.”
What an exciting tango! The audience is riveted. I, on the other hand, have thrown in the towel. Go ahead and put me in the corner. The only reason this dance ends is because I end up passing out before my son does in his bed.
The Olive Gal
green of skin, black of heart
That was beautiful. It’s a tango with Lucas but with you it was a production. Much like putting on Hamilton.
Ha! And really, the production quality is fantastic. I’ll have to remember to thank Alex in props…
I know I didn’t realize how precious sleep is until I got older and had more to do! Hurry, Lucas! Count those sheep while you leisurely can!
Right?! I would KILL for the amount of sleep we want him to get. Take it now, Lucas! You will not regret it!