mea culpa

Stuart has been having bad dreams all week. And getting into bed with us, which leaves us all tired and cranky.

I thought it was the snakes that he had seen at the Ecomuseum on Monday. Turns out I was wrong.

This morning he came and got back into his bed (where I fled to at some point in the night) and told me he hadn't slept ALL NIGHT.

Eventually - quite possibly due to my own exhaustion - I decided that missing a morning of Grade 1 would not end his academic career.

To my shock he stayed in bed. He did not get out. He seemed to be lying there trying to sleep (although on closer examination I found a Senators program and a little board game under his pillow). He didn't even venture downstairs until after 10:30 when I was talking to my mum on the phone.

She spoke to him to try and figure out what was bothering him.

He got back in bed. I went in and checked again for signs of a fever, poked and prodded his stomach a bit. Asked again if something was wrong at school. There isn't. But...

He started talking about Meet the Robinsons that we watched on Saturday night. Turns out that he is worried that will happen to him. "What?" you ask?

That his mother will leave him at an orphanage because she can't take care of him. And that he will be adopted by someone nasty.

It gets better. He is coming into our bed at night to see if I am still there and because he is worried that I will carry him out of his bed and drop him at an orphanage while he sleeps. Without waking him.

I didn't tell him he was being ridiculous. I didn't make light of this accusations, which would have helped deflect the sting of his fears. I told him that I love him. That I promise I can take care of him, and that when I say "I can't do this anymore!" that I am referring to things like dragging him out of the house morning after morning, cleaning up his room or refereeing the daily sibling bickering.

I also pointed out that if, and that's a big IF people, I couldn't take care of him - well he's got an awesome Dad. And two sets of Grandparents who love him. And and Aunt and Uncle... and various godparents... that he's not going to end up in an orphanage, he is too loved and wanted for that.

Let's hope it sticks. Otherwise I will have to start pulling out logic, like if I wanted to get rid of him I wouldn't be doing things like pureeing veggies to hide in his food in hopes that he is getting enough nutrients when he won't eat well. Or that when I beg him to go to sleep at night it's so that he grows up healthy and strong.

Not to mention that IF I was going to get rid of him I would probably try and get some cash for him to finance a nice Carribean cruise.

That was a joke. A sick joke. But I guess I better stop with the jokes about selling them on ebay.