Every now and then there are nights when my daughter has a hard time falling asleep. My husband or I will lay on her floor next to her bed. What else would I be doing with my evening? Probably watching some mind-numbing reality show. A little time on her floor is much more entertaining and we have the best conversations when this happens.
One night, I decided to take notes. I had my phone and tried to type everything she said. Her mind goes a mile a minute. This entire exchange took place in whispers over the course of about 10 minutes.
"Mommy? What if I jumped on Mickey Mouse's head? What would he say?"
(In my best Mickey voice) "Oh boy! Someone jumped on my head!"
She giggles.
"Mommy? Why do the horses from the palace want Cinderella to come back? Why does the pumpkin get smashed? What if I had a mermaid tail?"
"Mommy, Jack says boo-dozer instead of bulldozer and cook-ahs instead of cookies."
"What if I was a superhero...in my heart? If I was a superhero and Anastasia and Drizella ripped Cinderella's new dress, I would just fly on down and give her another one!"
I tell her that would be a nice thing to do. I am sure Cinderella would appreciate that.
**Silence for about 30 seconds**
"Mommy? I feel like my bed isn't comfy enough. I feel like I need more pillows. I am just going to get my Keagan pillow pet (named after her cousin) and my ladybug pillow pet. I need to put my regular pillow over here because I don't want to see the lid of my dress up box."
She gets off her bed, retrieves the pillows and struggles to get back on while holding both pillows.
"I need a ladder for this bed! Look, what is this called if I stack my pillows on top of each other?"
I look and say "Really tall?"
"No. BUNK PILLOWS!"
I tell her no more talking it is time to go to sleep. I hear her suck her thumb and settle into her bed. Another 30 second bout of silence.
"Mommy? Why does the prince in one of my books turn into a swan every night when he walks down the path?"
I tell her we can read that story tomorrow. It is time to be quiet now. Goodnight. I love you.
"Mommy? Why does Daddy step over my gate and you open it up? Elsa wears a cape with no hood, but Aurora's cape has a hood. Why does Marshmallow find Elsa's crown? Mommy? What if the earth had less gravity and I could jump really high?"
I don't answer her and it gets quiet. Several minutes pass. I think this may be it.
"Mommy? Why does Scrooge McDuck see a ghost? Did you see that doorknocker with Goofy's face? He was wearing a hair bow! Why did Goofy have chains? If you are a ghost you carry chains so they don't drag on the ground and get caught. Mommy? Why do mean people put chains on you that attach to the ground? So you can't use your powers?"
I say yes, Hans didn't want Elsa to use her powers and Malificent didn't want Prince Phillip to find Aurora.
"I feel like I need to snug with something purple, but my purple bear is too big. Do you need something to snug with?"
I say sure, I'll take the purple bear. She tosses the bear down to me. I tell her thanks and snug the bear.
"I wish I could have a husband for my Minnie soft thing. Do you think we could find one at the Disney store?"
I tell her we could probably find a Mickey soft thing if she wants to spend some of her piggy bank money on it.
"Why is Mickey Mouse on my Disney Cinderella book? Did Mickey Mouse make Disney?"
I tell her there was man named Walt Disney who invented Mickey Mouse and he uses Mickey as the Disney logo, just like Target and Ford and Chevrolet have logos.
"I think a shark is going to bite me in my room."
I tell her sharks need water to breathe and there is no water in her room, so there is no way a shark could be in her room.
"Yeah, but manatees need to come up to the surface to take a breath."
I say she is correct.
"Why is Spiderman Peter Parker when he doesn't wear his Spiderman outfit? What is Supergirl's name when she doesn't wear her Supergirl outfit?"
I tell her I don't know.
"But why? I think it is um... Tulip Rose. But, um, Mommy? I wish my ceiling was painted. Why is my room different than the other rooms in our house?"
I take a guess and say it is because her walls are purple. She agrees. I tell her again, no more talking. It is very very VERY late and it is time to go to sleep. Goodnight. I love you.
"Mommy? Love you."
There was no more talking, just the sound of her sucking her thumb and her breathing getting slower as she fell asleep. Her rambling train of thought makes this mama's heart happy. I was curled up under a blanket and fell asleep too. I woke up about 20 minutes later with an aching shoulder but it was worth it. I know this time with her, the window of time when she actually wants me in her room and takes comfort in knowing I am near, is fleeting. I know that one day I will blink and she will be a teenager.
I will take every moment like this that I can get.
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