So a quick story from home because it’s one of those things that I’ll forget in the years ahead but might remember if I write it down.  Plus in years ahead my son won’t believe it.

Billy of late has had some issues with going to bed on time.  Usually he asks me to stay or wants his door left open, or wanders out of his room after bed… if you’re a parent you know the drill.  For those not personally familiar with us, Billy is the older of my two boys, and almost 4.

Earlier in the week Billy had watched “Horton Hears a Who”, if you aren’t familiar this is an adaptation of a Dr. Suess book.  The main character Horton is an elephant who hears voices from a small ‘flower’.  The story is about how the town of ‘Whoville’ exists on this flower and Horton’s struggle to protect the flower and town.  The book’s climax is when everyone in town get’s together to call out ‘We are here, We are here’ to make enough noise for others to recognize they are there and spare the flower.

Last night bed time rolled around and we put the boys down. I had stayed in Billy’s room for about 5 minutes (once lights were out we were counting – I’ve been teaching him that counting is a good way to fall asleep, so we had counted to 100 and then again by 5’s.) but then it was time for me to leave.  He protested (of course) but it was time, so I closed his door to his complaints and headed downstairs.

A short while later I could hear something from upstairs.  Listening closer it was Billy ‘yelling’, so I asked Tracie which of us would be headed up to deal with Billy and she volunteered.  A little while later she came down and let me know that she had left Billy’s door open.   When Tracie got to Billy last night he was laying in bed calling out “I am here, I am here”.