Safety, cuddling and heroes

April 4, 2008 by Barbara.

The gate for Reid’s bed, or whatever you call that thing that keeps her from rolling out of bed, broke this week. I’m not sure if a screw was sheared off or what happened. Ken muttered something about all of the times we’ve taken it off and put it back on the bed and that he thinks he can fix it before carrying it away. I’m wondering if it’s even necessary anymore, if it ever was. Reid is pretty active when she sleeps but the bed isn’t very far from the floor.

When Ken came into get us out of bed yesterday, he first sat in his usual spot at the foot of the bed. Noticing that the gate was gone - it was early in the morning - he decided to stretch out and cuddle next to Reid. Reid objected, saying that our family cuddles in the big bed in Mama and Dad’s room but not in her bed. She pushed back against him and when he complained (remember we were 3 people in a twin bed), Reid said that she was just “stretching her bum.” As long as she wasn’t intentionally pushing Ken from the bed, I guess it was okay.

At about 2:00 Wednesday morning, I heard what sounded suspiciously like a small girl falling out of bed. Ken went in to comfort Reid while I used the bathroom. Once I arrived, Ken went back to the big bed and I laid with Reid. She told me that she had fallen but “Daddy came”. It was clear from her tone that she knew he could have easily leapt a small building on the way to her room without pausing.

At 5:30, when she would usually have nursed, snoozed and cuddled with me, Reid asked to go to the big bed to cuddle with Daddy (the hero from the middle of the night fall). Wasn’t Ken lucky to have us invade his bed in those last few minutes before he had to get up?

I’m still wondering about the gate on the side of the bed. Does a girl who is nearly 4 require such a safety device? Did she ever? No, don’t answer that second question, we bought it years ago. It’s too late for me to get the “today’s parents are way too protective and Darwin planned for such things” advice.

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