Like Mother, Like Daughter

I will admit it. I am afraid of the dark. Always have been and probably I always will be.

It's not fun being a perfectly intelligent, rational adult who hears non-existent noises in the night. But, I can say from experience that it sure beats being a less than rational four year-old who hears noises in the night any day. Or night. Whatever.

Lauren has recently become afraid to sleep in her room. I can sympathize. I can remember as a child lamenting the fact that I was the ONLY one who had no one to share a room with. My parents had each other, my brothers had each other, and I had nada. I know, it was a pretty horrid childhood I had being forced to have my own room and all. I even used to pay one of my brothers a quarter to sleep in my room until he figured out that a quarter wasn't really worth sleeping with his sister.

The past few nights Lauren has come to me with the same lament. She BEGS Ethan to let her sleep with him since his bottom bunk is a double bed and he lets Josh sleep with him on a regular basis. The problem is even Ethan is old enough to appreciate a good night's sleep, which is a scientific impossibility when sleeping with Lauren. "She always tries to put her legs on me and sleep on my pillow." I know, kid, she does. This is why I can't force him to let her sleep with him.

So tonight after she came down twice crying about having a bad dream (she had been in bed for three minutes, none of which involved sleeping), I went up and sat with her for a bit. After about ten minutes, I told her I was going downstairs and would come up and check on her again in five minutes. She sobbed and begged me not to go. I was determined to go with tough love. Nip this in the bud so she doesn't spend her whole life afraid to sleep in her own room.

This is what I found when I came up the stairs a few minutes later.



For perspective, here's a wider shot. That's her brothers' door to the right.



Yes, I moved her to my bed, not hers. I think I'm doomed to perpetuate the cycle.

It's a good thing she's so cute and cuddly.