WHEN BRIBERY DOESN'T WORK . . .

. . . you know that it's serious!

Alice wants a Christmas tree in her bedroom. I'm quite happy for her to have one. So tonight I offered to get her one tomorrow if she slept all night in her own room. I just made it downstairs before she started crying - it's very unusual for her to cry that quickly. I talked to her over the monitor (she thought that I was T!), I went up to her and the pillow was already wet from tears and she was adamant that she wanted 'Mummy's bed', I reminded her about the Christmas tree but she told me that there were monsters in her room - then I discovered that she didn't like the trio of lights on the monitor, but that wasn't enough and she quickly returned to my room - where she's been sleeping peacefully ever since.

She REALLY wants that Christmas tree, that means the fear is real. I'll have to give it longer before I try again, but I did put the dummies away tonight (I don't allow them outside her room and she hasn't used one in several weeks, so they've gone).