Wee Willie Winkie

Posted by Sheri | 0 comments

Wee Willie Winkie runs through the town,
Up stairs and down stairs in his night-gown,
Tapping at the window, crying at the lock,
Are the children in their bed, for it’s past ten o’clock?

When my first son was born someone bought us a cassette (yes a cassette tape) with bedtime songs for the nursery. One of the songs was Wee Willie Winkie. I never put Dylan down to bed in his crib unless he was already asleep, but I DID play that cassette every single day. I loved the peacefulness of the songs. For whatever reason Wee Willie Winkie really stuck with me.

As Mike and I had children we started a routine: We would put the kids to bed and then head back out to the living room to curl up on the couch and have some “down time”. It was the only time of the day that we could sit and relax and not worry about things like dirty diapers, making peanut butter sandwiches or who wasn’t touching whom. If you had asked “Are the children in their bed, for it’s past ten o’clock?” we would have answered with a resounding “YES!!”

Back then we used to stay up late for alone time.

Now…we go to bed early, usually not long after we tuck the little boys into their own beds.

Our teens have informed us that we are showing our age. We just laugh and wholeheartedly agree. Truth be told we both look forward to bedtime every.single.day.  Laying my head on my husband’s chest and feeling his arm draped around me is the most relaxing part of my day.

At night as I doze off, I peek one eye open and look at the hall light streaming under our door. I know the teens will be up for a few more hours reveling in their own down time, away from the burdens of being the oldest siblings, away from their parents, just hanging out and chatting. And I remember when I was a teen, I remember when I would stay up late and talk to my older brother. I remember that kinship. And I smile.

And then I fall asleep in the peace and knowledge that all is right in the world.

Because the more things change, the more they stay the same.

Sheri Sears (with the help of her fabulous husband Mike) began homeschooling her four children in 2001. She spends her time creating whatever she can out of nothing to make her house more homey, writing lesson plans, listening to her son’s garage band and writing how God is carrying her out of the depths of depression. You can catch up with Sheri at her blog The Shades of Pink. Be sure not to miss the Love Story she and her husband have written.