The little guy is becoming more and more sophisticated. Tonight I tried to cajole him a few times to head to bed, at his regular bedtime, but he resisted. When I asked if he was tired he scurried away around the couch, where he knew I wasn't likely to follow. He came back out cautiously when I reached for a book and sat down. He thwarts my intent to pick him up knowing he's better off if he keeps his distance, and can then spend more time awake with me! He knew to sit quietly flipping through books and sticking/unsticking magnet blocks. I think he was conserving his energy, knowing that he was getting away with staying up later than usual. I started a new game with him: hid a bath toy frog under two halves of a barrel, moved them around, and watched to see if he could track the frog.
I had to wait until he decded he was ready for bed, at which point he pulled me by the hand upstairs, and flopped down to sleep for the night. I've seen him do this before, to of his own accord let me know he was tired and ready for bed, even leading me to his crib so I couldn't mistake the message. When he was younger (!), he might become overtired yet resist sleep.
Before he went to bed, watching him, I wondered if he was staking out some one-on-one time with me that he missed earlier in the evening, or if he just felt he needed to play a little
while longer to settle himself for sleep. Perhaps he will be a child to reason with, who can regulate his own bedtime, and who can be aware of what he needs as a bedtime routine to unwind.
(I say this yet my husband and I are both night owls who didn't have set bedtimes growing up.
He still stays up for gaming, and I still stay up too late reading.
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