So recently my darling and eccentric middle child, Liam awoke in the middle of the night. He came to our door and told me that he was afraid of the shadows in his room and that he wanted to sleep with us. Well at four years old he is getting too big to sleep with us - especially since he sleeps sideways in the bed.
"Buddy we need to go get back in your bed now."
"NO," he cries "I want to sleep in your bed."
I lead him wimpering back into his room - which is completely breaking my heart. He gets into bed and starts to cry louder than before. I gently stroked his hair and told him that he was a big boy now since he'd turned four.
"I don't want to be four. I want to stay three. I don't want to be big. I'm never eating again so I will stay small." All the while he's doing that yelling kind of crying with no tears and his eyes are closed because he's barely awake.
"Oh," I respond.
"I hate this," He bellows eyes still closed.
"I'm sorry you're unhappy," I say.
"I hate my bed," he continues "I hate my friends. I hate school." It's summer and he's not even in school. "and I hate wind and I hate the snow. I never want to play in the snow ever again!"
"I thought you liked the snow"
"No I hate it and I want to stay inside with Mommy."
"But I like playing in the snow," I tell him.
"YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME INSIDE BY MYSELF," he cries having now woken his brother and sister. They are not happy and the house is all atwitter at 1 am. FUN!
I'm never certain how these conversations go off the rails in such a monumental way but nonetheless here it is. In less than 90 seconds we went from him not wanting to sleep in his bed because he was afraid of shadows to me abandoning him in the house to play in some future snow storm. Well eventually the other two were settled down and I thought little Liam was asleep too but three hours later I awoke to find him in my bed anyway.
All for naught you say? Hardly. I got a story out of it...
"Buddy we need to go get back in your bed now."
"NO," he cries "I want to sleep in your bed."
I lead him wimpering back into his room - which is completely breaking my heart. He gets into bed and starts to cry louder than before. I gently stroked his hair and told him that he was a big boy now since he'd turned four.
"I don't want to be four. I want to stay three. I don't want to be big. I'm never eating again so I will stay small." All the while he's doing that yelling kind of crying with no tears and his eyes are closed because he's barely awake.
"Oh," I respond.
"I hate this," He bellows eyes still closed.
"I'm sorry you're unhappy," I say.
"I hate my bed," he continues "I hate my friends. I hate school." It's summer and he's not even in school. "and I hate wind and I hate the snow. I never want to play in the snow ever again!"
"I thought you liked the snow"
"No I hate it and I want to stay inside with Mommy."
"But I like playing in the snow," I tell him.
"YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME INSIDE BY MYSELF," he cries having now woken his brother and sister. They are not happy and the house is all atwitter at 1 am. FUN!
I'm never certain how these conversations go off the rails in such a monumental way but nonetheless here it is. In less than 90 seconds we went from him not wanting to sleep in his bed because he was afraid of shadows to me abandoning him in the house to play in some future snow storm. Well eventually the other two were settled down and I thought little Liam was asleep too but three hours later I awoke to find him in my bed anyway.
All for naught you say? Hardly. I got a story out of it...
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