Everyone makes their own choices about how to to deal with children's bedtimes and sleep routines, and each family has to make the choice that is right for his or her family. Before we actually had kids, Husband had the idea that he'd like to cuddle with the children and sleep with them, while I always said that I fully intended for the children would sleep in their own beds. I won. It was the right choice for our family, and firmly, one by one, Son and Daughters learned to sleep in their own cribs, sleep through the night and just sleep well on their own. Husband admired my resolve and since Son and Daughters went down to bed easily every night, on time, there was nothing really much for him to complain about. It was the right choice for us and from the beginning, whenever Daughters tried to stray from the path, I gently walked them back to her room with minimal fuss.
In recent months, Son has developed a habit where he wakes up about an hour or two before morning wake up and crawls into bed with me. Husband watched him from the sidelines and commented, "You NEVER let the girls do that." I justified it to Husband saying that it was only a bit of time before we had to get up anyways, so it wasn't a big deal. Truthfully, I didn't like it because Son insisted on poking and talking and breathing loudly and I'm not a great sleeper, so that morning interruption upset my sleep. But I put up with it simply because I was too lazy to walk him back to his room.
But things have finally come to a head as my sleep has been reduced and the quality has deteriorated, and I told Son that I need him to stay in his room, because it's better for his sleep. He definitely needs the sleep and in the early morning when he wakes up, he has a harder time falling back asleep. I want him to sleep all the way through, getting more solid sleep and resting more deeply. I explained it to him, promised him a prize if he could carry through, and basically explained what he needed to do.
The first night? BAM. He did it. He came into the room in the morning and said, "Good morning mom. I slept the whole night in my bed." The second night, he did it again. The third morning he did it again, but he looked wistfully at my bed and said, "I really do like lying down next to you. But I want my prize." And slowly and but surely we are moving towards his staying in his bed and not with me. Now the moment when he looked wistfully at my bed and expressed that he likes lying down next to me was a slightly bittersweet one, and it was a mixed bag of emotions. A part of me was so excited about having him stay in his own room while the other part of me was sad that he was missing our time together. That mix of sad and sweet is oftentimes the very flavor of parenting and one that I still can't get quite used to.
This salad, with its mix of bitter kale, peppery arugula, sweet persimmon, and sour pomegranate is a mixed bag of flavors and experiences, but delicious together. And eating it reminds me of how sometimes the craziest flavors come together and become something great.
Kale, Arugula, Persimmon, Pomegranate Salad
Serves 6
Ingredients
Salad
¾ lb of kale, stems removed, cut into small bite sizes (about 3 cups of kale chopped up)
3 cups of arugula, washed and dried
3 fuyu persimmons, washed, peeled and cut into wedges
½ cup pomegranate arils (the little jewels of the pomegranate - from about half a large pomegranate)
½ cup shredded Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
Dressing
2 tablespoons lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
¼ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon pepper
Method
In a large salad bowl, mix together kale and arugula. Arrange persimmons wedges and pomegranate arils and sprinkle Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese on top.
In a small bowl, whisk together lemon juice, olive oil and salt and pepper. Drizzle dressing over salad and toss well to coat evenly.
Printable recipe
the mix of yummy flavors coming together
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