giving in.

sometimes i feel like my posts must read like a broken record.  blah, blah, blah.  but i really do not understand why my children (okay, oldest child) has such a hard time going to sleep.  one week ago (actually slightly less than a week ago), we instituted a new rule.  We sat her down after dinner and explained the new bedtime rule.  We told her exactly how it was going to work, and she said OKAY.
The rule is simple- whoever puts her to bed reads two stories, says good night, turns out the light and leaves.  my husband has been doing this every night since, and every night since, it has worked like a dream.  until tonight.  when it was my turn to put her to bed.  before we went in there, i went over the rules.  i even had her tell them to me, so i knew she knew how it was about to work.  she was all fine with it.  we read our two stories, and after the second, she matter-of-factly said, "that was two stories."  i said good-night.  i turned off the light.  i left.  that was 25 minutes ago.  she has been screaming and crying for me ever since.  i can't give in.  i can't go in, because i know it will just turn into another 25 minutes, and another 25 days of this.  but it kills me.  i don't care how old my children are, whether they're 6 months or 3 years old, i cannot stand to hear them cry.  it truly kills me.  but i've been a pushover for way too long.  i am sitting out here on the couch with two loads of laundry to be folded, and instead i am stifling the sounds of her cries with the sounds of my typing.  hopefully she'll conk out soon.  hopefully this will be the only time we run into this snag.  hopefully i'll stop giving in altogether.  hopefully.