"Dark Cain't Hurt Chew!"

For several months now we have been battling with Jon Kent to go to sleep on his own and stay in his bed each night.  Nap times are a breeze.  He goes right down and 9 times out of 10 is asleep within a few minutes.  But bedtime.. well that's a whole different story.  We do the same routine we have been doing since Jon Kent was first born.  Bath time and then bedtime.  Up until right after Christmas, Jon Kent would easily go to bed.  He would sleep through the night too!  Now it's a struggle just to get him to go to sleep.  And up until last week we would have to keep telling him to go to sleep or keep taking him back to his bed.  While Kent was off on training I was determined to at least get Jon Kent to start going to sleep on his own again.  So, I left the bathroom light on.  Because Jon Kent started saying "Dark scared you."  Which meant the dark was scaring him.  I would then respond that the dark is nothing to be scared of and that it can't hurt him.  To which he replied (like he was trying to convince himself) that, "Dark cain't hurt chew!".  And I agreed.  I told him that I would leave the bathroom light on for him and his TWO night lights that he already has in his room on for him as well.  This seemed to do the trick!  He still isn't thrilled about going to sleep by himself and he sometimes does cry, whine about it for a few minutes.  But he has been going to sleep.  Now.. if only we could get him to stay in his bed.  We would be doing great!  I really don't mind him being in the bed with us.  Most of the time it's OK.  But there are nights that I just get little sleep.  That child has bony knees and elbows!  He is all over the place.  And he dreams.. lol.. out loud!  This morning he was giggling in his sleep like someone was tickling him.  It's cute but exhausting all at the same time.  Not to mention if Zoey realizes that Jon Kent is in the bed with us, she too will want to join.  Thankfully she is still an easy baby when it comes to going down for bedtime.  And she sleeps through the night to boot!  It's a phase I know and it won't last long.  And once it's over I'll wish he would just be little again and get back in the bed with us.  So I'm trying to look at it that way and not look at it as a bad thing.  But some nights.. I just want to sleep alone.. with my husband!  It's good birth control though!