It would seem that toddlers and savage
beasts have something in common besides the typical behaviour:
music soothes them. We recently returned from a family shopping
trip around 8PM, and as he often does when tired, Lex said he
wanted to stay in the car and listen to music. So, I let him
stay there while I put the groceries away and I checked on him
once in a while to see if he was still happy strapped in to his
car seat. Each time he indicated he’d like to stay.

Finally, I finished the groceries and some
other minor puttering, and it was time for Lex to come in and
go to bed. He was resistant, and he was so calm and sweet that
I was reluctant to force him. Then it occurred to me that with
about 5 minutes of effort, I could have him lying in the “big
bed” with the some music playing. I asked him if he wanted to,
he said yes. I asked him which CD he wanted from the car,
grabbed it, him, and the audio equipment, and within minutes,
he was happy and calmly lying in the big bed, with Mr. Diamond
sweetly crooning him to sleep.

Ever
since then, he has been happily, if not emphatically, going to
bed for naps and the night. The only exception was when he
uttered the title of this post. One can only imagine he had
something other than sleep on his mind. You know, like
memorizing more words to his favorite song: Bank Job. Get out
of the gutter. =p