Do children ever reach a stage where they like going to bed? Do they always protest? Is it something that you can control?

I have a 4 month old baby, at night he tends to fall asleep as soon as we put him down so no time for crying. For naps he cries for a short time (depending how tired he is) before he falls asleep (we're talking like 60s-5min at most here).Now when I'm putting him down I have a specific song I sing and he looks at me with sad eyes the whole time I am singing it and then as soon as it's finished and I move toward the door he begins to cry. I guess he doesn't want to be alone.But remembering my own childhood, bedtime was always a battle. I remember having a billion and one stalling tactics as a young child. I remember my parents eventually locking me in my room to keep me from coming downstairs after I was put to bed. I remember after my bedtime getting my little brother to stay up out of bed with me and cause what mischief we could from behind the baby gates (which was quite a lot - I remember burning a heap of clothes by piling them on a halogen lamp, melting crayons on our heater, feeding my little brother various flowers I collected during the day, posting letters out the window to "peter pan" and so on).Even once I was a teenager things were no better for my poor begnited parents. I hated school and to me sleep meant I would next be aware of waking up and going to school. So I tried to avoid sleeping. It wasn't long before my stubbornness had overcome their desire to stop me staying up all night and age 14 through 19 were times when I was hugely sleep deprived.Am I doomed for a repeat of history with my children? Is there such a thing as a child who is happy to go to sleep, who enjoys the thought of their bed and closing their eyes? I sure love to sleep now I am an adult... via /r/Parenting http://ift.tt/2eiYynB