Have you ever seen one of those lists of reasons why a toddler is having trouble going to sleep? I’m too lazy to look for one at the moment for direct quotes, but they include things like:

27. Toddler’s shirt is touching toddler.

42. Earth’s rotation is causing toddler to feel hungry, are there any bagels?

8. Toddler feels like dancing.

15. Toddler’s bed is scratching toddler. Toddler requires new bed immediately, yes yours will do just fine.

Those lists have always made me laugh, because having raised a toddler, I know much of this to be true. But I suddenly have a new appreciation for the plight of the small and somewhat helpless. When Rob puts me to bed at night, he settles me on my back, putting pillows under my elbows and one across my chest that my arms can wrap around. He fastens braces on my feet, and sets them against wedges that lean against a wooden chair which is kept in place by a leather ottoman. He stretches my legs and my arms and places my mask on my face. It’s a little more involved than our long ago life in Manhattan, when I would get up from the couch at bedtime and announce that I was going to bed. And then I would do that. Read More>