Bean,  Fun Things,  Parenting

Nighttime Shinanigans

October 14, 2012 /

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We had to kick Bean out of his crib at only 18 months old because we needed it for Gracie (don’t worry, I’ve budgeted that into his therapy costs in the future).  Because he was so little when we turned him loose in his room, we used a baby gate on his bedroom door to make sure that he didn’t wander around the house at night.  I figured that when he got a little older, we’d stop using the baby gate.  But Bean Man never fought against it and never tried to climb out of it, so we never stopped using it.  Even still, he has his gate on his door every night.

Last night, though, Bean proved he no longer needed the baby gate.  It was almost his bedtime, and so I gave him a five minute warning (which works wonders for him whenever we change activities).  I was changing the sheets on our bed, and so I told him as soon as I was finished, we’d go get on his jammies and brush his teeth.  Well, lo and behold, Bean Man took it upon himself to go get out his jammies, change into them, put all his dirty clothes in the hamper (hallelujah!), and then went and brushed his teeth all on his own!  I heard the water turn on in the bathroom, and I ALMOST went in there to check on him, but I figured this was his little independence coming through, so I let him do it all by himself.  AND HE DID!  Then, he came bouncing into my room and announced, “I did it all by myself, Mom!”

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Well, I was so darn proud of what a big guy he was for taking care of his chores without even having to be asked or helped, that I told him maybe he was a big enough boy to not have to sleep with the baby gate on his door.

You would have thought I had said, “I’m going to give you the keys to Disney World.”

He started smiling from ear to ear and was so excited.  I had no idea it meant that much to him!  So, I went and tucked him in and he just kept laying there smiling, all proud of himself.  He was so excited to not have that gate on his door.  I told him that as long as he stayed in bed, he wouldn’t have to use the gate anymore.  But if he got out of bed, then I’d have to put the gate back up.  He nodded enthusiastically, and went right to sleep.  It’s been three nights now, and he hasn’t made a peep after the lights go out.  He’s just so proud of be a big boy without a gate.

Chris was working all weekend, so he came home around 11:00 that first night.  He went to kiss the kids like he does every night when he goes to bed, and he came walking back into our bedroom with his eyes as big as saucers.

“He doesn’t need a GATE anymore?!?!”

I explained what had happened that night, and Chris was so proud of Bean, too.  He agreed that it was time to take the gate away.  Clearly, Bean was growing up.  So, Chris and I climbed into bed and turned out the light.

Laying there, Chris said, “I hope he isn’t one of those staring kids.”

“What staring kids?”

“You know, the kids that just stand there and stare at you while you’re sleeping until you wake up.”

(silence)

“I hadn’t thought about that,” I said. “That would freak me out.”

“Go check on him,” Chris said, pushing me out of bed.  “Make sure he’s not staring.”

So, I get out of bed and go check on him.  And – wouldn’t you know it? – he was STARING!  Sometimes, Bean wakes up in the middle of the night and cries a little bit, but when you go in there to check on him, he’s actually still asleep.  So you just have to lay him back down and he’ll go back to sleep.  Well, this time I went in there and he was sitting straight up in bed, staring out into space.

FREAKED MY FREAK. I don’t care if he is my own, there’s nothing freakier than a staring kid in the middle of the night.

So, I laid him back down and came back to bed.

“He’s staring,” I told Chris.

“AT US????”

“No, he was in his bed, but he was staring.  I laid him back down, though.”

“Well, what happens if he comes in here tonight and stares?”

“I don’t know…” I said.  “I didn’t think it through when I took the gate down.”

(silence)

“Put the baby gate up,” Chris said.

“I can’t.  I promised him.”

“No, not on his door.  Put it on ours.”

“What????”

“Yeah, that way if he comes in, he’ll have to climb over the gate and we at least will hear him coming.”

“Why don’t we just get him a collar with a little bell on it, too?” I said, laughing.

“Quit laughing!  This is serious!  Put the gate up!  I’m freaked out!”

So, long story short:  Our kid freaked us out and we locked ourselves in our bedroom with a baby gate last night.  It’s either one of our more brilliant ideas, or one of the stupidest.  I guess we’ll just have to wait and see…

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