Who's going to get his way?

Bedtime around here has been more of a challenge since I moved the two big boys into the same bedroom a few months back.

We have gotten into more of a routine and most nights I'm able to put one boy to bed and have him be fast asleep before the other's bedtime. Not too bad unless we are out late for some unavoidable reason(few and far between, since I consider bedtime to be a sacred thing and don't like to change it for very much) and then trying to put the boys to bed at the same time results in the wrestling match I wrote about a few months ago.

The issue right now is how very different the boys are. When that was just Monkey's room, he was incredibly, well, anal, about what was allowed in his room. Everything had to be in exactly the right spot and nothing extra was allowed to be in there. His blankets had to be put on in exactly the right order and his stuffed animals(the only toys I allow in bedrooms) in precisely the correct spot, nothing on the floor, closet door and dresser drawers closed tight.I distinctly remember a night where I heard him out in the hall at the top of the steps bellowing for me. I went up to check, since it sounded like he was being attacked by a monster or perhaps had an eardrum burst, only to find him standing there with the price tag from a shirt that had just bought him. When I had removed it, I guess I hadn't thrown it away, just put it on top of his dresser and then it had fallen to the floor. In complete disgust, he told me "THIS does not belong in my room."

Bear, on the other hand, thrives on chaos. He likes to open all the dresser drawers and go on a scavenger hunt to see what he can find, strewing clothes all over the place. The closet can be a fun place for him to hide or for him to hide one of his brother's precious blankets. He's also likely to kidnap a stuffed animal or two. He has no qualms about falling asleep wherever he happens to be when he finally wears himself out.

I really thought Monkey was going to have some sort of breakdown when his pin-neat room was turned into a bomb site, but over the past few months, but I was trying to let them work it out. I admit that I was hoping that Monkey would win out, but it seems like Bear is winning this battle. Unfortunately for mama, who used to never worry about having to clean that room.