"Go Away and Leave Me Alone"

The child was not tired, in fact he was getting more and more wound up by the minute. When the time came and he was tucked into bed,he could not sleep. He didn't even try. Multiple trips to the living room only resulted in his being taken back to bed, but he had a plethora of new reasons to come out again. He begged, he cried, he cajoled (whatever that is), and when all of that failed, he persisted.

His father was not amused. His mother was entirely less than pleased, and quickly unraveling. His grandmother, who had retreated to her attic hideaway, tried to avoid becoming entangled in the ordeal but necessity overruled and she made her way downstairs to see what might be done. Call it intervention, if you'd like. It doesn't happen often, but last night it did.

I donned my jammy pants and sweatshirt, grabbed my alarm clock and went downstairs. My daughter was frustrated and exhausted and still Number Nine howled and cried. We put him back to bed and I climbed in and lay down near the wall. He did not want me in his bed. "Go away and leave me alone, Grammy!" he wailed over and over. I stayed. I closed my eyes. I tried talking to him. I told him not to get out of bed. He finally promised to stay in bed and go to sleep. I went upstairs and climbed back into my own bed, but the peace downstairs was short lived.

On the return trip to the child's bedroom I took my pillow. I was there for the duration, whatever that might be. He was not happy and begged me once again to leave. His mother came in to announce plans for a quick trip to the store for some children's melatonin. He howled when she departed, cried for her, and then wanted daddy. When Mommy returned he gladly chewed the gummy pill and settled back on his pillow, hopeful in the promise that if he went to sleep, Grammy would go back to her own bed. A half hour or less later, I gathered myself together and returned to my room.

This evening, though still not thrilled about bedtime, he was convinced to stay in bed by the threat of Grammy sleeping in his room again. He never came out at all. Not once. LOL!