Monsters, Inc.

Ellen has developed a somewhat trying habit. We put her to bed between 7:30 and 8:00 at night. She then proceeds to entertain herself in her room, in her bed until 9:30 or 10:00! Not exactly what we want. Then she’s up at 7 the next morning, ready for action. Hopefully it’s just a phase. On the other hand, it’s pretty nice that she actually just hangs out in bed. The worst she usually does is to remove her pajamas and seriously, what 2 year old doesn’t like to take their clothes off, especially when left unattended. Tonight, she managed to get the t-shirt back on and the pajamas zipped back up on her own. The only reason I found out about it was she had to let me know of her accomplishments on one of her several water breaks. It’s kind of hard to punish the kid when the clothes have all been replaced by the time you get there. Kids these days, they’ve got skills.

I digress.

I decided to ask Ellen tonight why she hadn’t gone to sleep. She said she didn’t want to, typical answer. On a whim, I when one step further and asked what happens when she does go to sleep. Her answer surprised me. She said when she goes to sleep, the monsters come in. A response like that begs for follow up so I asked where the monsters came in from. She pointed to the entry door and said they come in through the door. Now, being a responsible parent, who remembers being victim to monsters in the bedroom before, I didn’t want her to be terrorized by the creatures of the night. I offered to put monster repellent on her door to keep them out. Ellen looked at me and sweetly and sincerely said, “Thank you Dad.”

So I got her a drink and while she had a little sip, I wiped down the frame, threshold and door with monster repellant. When I was finished I was given another genuine thanks and she offered me a hug as a bonus. Hopefully it works and the monsters will stay at bay. Now I just have to figure out how long the monster repellant lasts before I need to recoat the door….