Nighttime Companions

The things kids keep with them in their bed while they fall asleep, it cracks me up!

As a parent, there are a lot of things that just end up being incredibly cute. I think it's one of the most rewarding aspects of the whole deal! For what I am talking about here, what I've been trying to notice more is what my son takes to bed with him and what the motivation is for him to do something like that.

My son is a huge fan of things like Lego, stuffed animals and other things that are pretty typical for a young boy. He's not quite old enough to ditch some of these things which is nice because it's the precious years of his life and helping him with his development and maturity. What he has been doing the past year or so, is taking specific things with him to bed every night and it's funny to see what those things are on a nightly basis!

I've always partially noticed what he was picking to come to bed with him because I'm the one that puts him to bed every night, and the one that wakes him up in the mornings. What I didn't really start to do until fairly recently was try to pay attention to what he was bringing into bed, and notice the different things as time goes on. When I started to notice it, I really found it quite enjoyable and amusing!

A lot of times what he brings with him to bed is stuffed animals, those are always a staple in the bed. We don't really mind that because it's all animals like alligators, birds and things like that. I would be a little hesitant to let things that are not typical for boys like a pink fairy or something. I don't have an issue with that if he wants to play with it while he's at a friends house that's a girl, but as a boy he shouldn't be consistently playing with it. I think that we need to get back to an age where masculinity is important in a household, and especially giving boys positive masculinity role models and experiences. Those things don't fit into that structure, but I digress in that direction.

A lot of other times, what comes into the bed with him are Lego but different Lego seemingly every night! He has some favorites that's for sure but there are lots of different kinds that end up in there. Some nights it's a ninja, other nights it's a police officer, other nights it's a horse. The range is quite comical and entertaining. I love to take a look at him after he's asleep and see what the things are, very often tucked up near his pillow so that they are near his upper body or head. It really cracks me up but makes me appreciate that he's enjoying so much of this time of his life being able to do small things like that. I don't know if that makes sense or not, or if I'm conveying it poorly but seeing the different things each night and him making active choices for what he wants to bring into bed has been really great to see.

There's then the other times of course where it's not even a Lego at all, and it ends up being some tools! He's fallen asleep with flash lights, measuring tapes, screwdrivers and other things which often get removed if they are a bit sharp or dangerous for him to be falling asleep with, but still really amusing and entertaining to see what surprise awaits me when I check on him after he's asleep.

At the end of the day, I feel like I'm just really happy that he seems to be incredibly happy and that's what matters to me most. These are the most important and precious years of his life that he is starting to be able remember for the rest of his life. It's great that it seems to be going well for the little dude!