The McKnight Chronicles

Like many parents, I think that my kids are funny. They come by it honestly because their dad is hilarious! I have decide to keep track of  all of their dantics in The McKnight Chronicles. This first story is titled "Sophia and James: Children of the Corn". Read on....

"Hello Mommy!'

            At least that is what I should have heard two or three nights ago when I woke up to find a cute, pajama-clad  little boy sitting on me.  James had his book in one hand and beautiful smile on his face, but no greeting. Perhaps he was tired or not quite awake, since it was 3am. Who knows? But, once he crawled in between Mommy and Daddy, he was ready to go back to sleep.

            This experience brings to mind the first nocturnal visits of James'  little big sister Sophia. At eighteen months old, who expects them to climb out of the crib, in the middle of the night and come right to Mommy and Daddy's room?  Not me. I believed that the dark would keep her in bed, despite three nights of nocturnal travel three months earlier. After three days, she stayed put, so why would I think that she would start climbing out again? Well, she did, and like her brother, said nothing upon her arrival into our bedroom. She just stood, looked at us, and waited for someone to acknowledge her presence. At 3 am, this could have been a while, but those little hairs on the back of your neck that work to tell you something is off when you are awake work when you are sleeping too. Night after night,  my mommy spider sense woke me to find Sophia standing next to my bed, patiently waiting for me to wake up and talk to her. For this, my husband nicknamed her "Child of the Corn" after the silent, creepy big-eyed  children from the 80s movie of the same name. Now, I didn't expect anything sinister or chilling to happen because of Sophia, but she was silent, just like those kids.  Those silent, quiet visits continued  until she learned to climb into the bed with help.

            It is disconcerting to wake up and find a nineteen month old in bed with you and not remember how she got there. When she was a little baby, Robert, my husband, would bring her in to bed to feed her and then would just let her stay. I admit that I did the same thing, sometimes, and he would wake to find her and not know how she had arrived. My only excuse was that my pregnant self did not want to get up and stumble through the dark to take her back to the bed . Yes, I was too lazy. I will admit it. This was not a good habit for us to get into, though, because Sophia likes to sleep in our bed now. James did not have that same opportunity, so he is not partial. At least we learned something the second time around.

            As time  went on, it just seemed easier to  let Sophia stay right where she had decided that she is comfortable. I didn't want to listen to crying, wining  tantrums or get kicked by a flailing arm or leg when someone (probably her daddy) tried to get her to go back to her own bed. So we let her stay. Since that those first nocturnal visits, she has spend more than a year coming and going between 3am and 6:30am. As she has gotten older, she had become my personal alarm clock, waking me up around 5:30 or 6am.

            Five days ago, we got new furniture for Sophia and put her into her own room. Sure enough, she has slept in her bed each night and gotten up around 7am. James left his crib and  got her toddler bed, so now he is free! He can come and go as he wants. Oh no! Hence my wake up several nights ago.  

            I think that the lesson in all of this is to enjoy your kids while you are little and don't let them sleep in your bed. They won't forget the experience and it is hard to get them to leave when you want them to go. Another thing to remember is that new beds may solve your problem, or simply transfer it to the next child in line.