Good Cop vs Bad Cop

When it comes to parenting, is it always Good Cop vs Bad Cop?

Me? I'm the bad cop. Especially when it comes to discipline at bedtime. And I'm torn about whether that's actually a bad thing.
 
Mya is 2 years old, so we are at the beginning stages of learning to discipline her. We give her warnings, but she tests her limits (A LOT!) and eventually we have to follow through with a punishment. Her punishment usually means laying her down in her bed and explaining what she did wrong. Easy. She understands the message and that's what matters.

I complain and say that I don't like being the bad cop, but that's not always true. Being the bad cop doesn't make me a mean parent. I love my kids. But I want them to grow up knowing right from wrong. I want them to know they have boundaries and when they cross the line, there's a punishment.

Lately I've been the bad cop when it comes to bedtime. Mya has always been an excellent sleeper, but since we moved her to her big girl bed and she discovered that she can climb out of her bed on her own, she thinks it's fun to continuously come out to say hello.

"But I no wanna go to sleep" has become a nightly phrase in our house.

If we are home, her nightly routine is always the same: supper, playtime, bath, watch an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, brush teeth, potty break, read at least 3 stories, kisses and hugs and good night. Ideally she's in bed by 8:30pm, but sometimes as late as 9:00pm.

We've had to set some rules to prevent her from getting out of bed. After all, bedtime is bedtime. And if she gets up more than once (for anything other than to use the potty) then we close her door. She has this new fear of the dark and prefers to sleep with her door open. It's not a problem so long as she stays in bed. But, if Mya climbs out of bed after bedtime, I close her door. Most nights she goes right to sleep after that.

I felt bad the first few nights as we've been pretty lenient in the past. But bedtime has started to drag on for hours and if we don't enforce the rules, she won't learn. So I took on the role of bad cop and I'm happy to report that Mya has had a nap every day since Thursday and for the past few nights bedtime has went off without a hitch. She doesn't necessarily fall asleep right away, but she lays quietly in bed and plays her music bear until sleep overtakes her.

All that being said - I'm always the good cop when it comes to daily treats. Today I gave Mya a kid-sized glass of chocolate milk, the arm of a gingerbread cookie and three chocolate chips. Little treats throughout the day are offered so long as she doesn't tell her daddy on me!

Maybe it's not all bad.

Melanie