Somebody's Been Sleeping in My Bed

By Tracy C. Alston

Okay, so my otherwise independent, five-year-old daughter, Sasha, still sleeps with me at night.

I'm a post-divorce single mom (i.e. lonely). My bed is queen-sized, and there are big, scary monsters in her room. No, really, and the toys come alive too (at least the ones with working batteries).

Never mind that she has a room fit for a princess decorated meticulously in sweetheart red, Barbie-pink, and snow white with her own TV/VCR/DVD/stereo combination, and twinkling, glow-in-the-dark stars that illuminate her ceiling like a virtual galaxy. Did I also mention that she is fully equipped with protective night lights and monster repellent (lightly scented water in spray bottle)?

I suppose my bed is just a tad bit more comfortable than hers. I mean, I do have one of those egg-crate mattress covers. Plus the closer she is to my heartbeat, well, the closer she is to recreating the womb-like feeling in her not-so-distant past.

Don't think that I haven't tried to kick her out of my bed on several occasions, but deadlines have come and gone with each new birthday, or life milestone (when you can go to the potty all by yourself, when you start kindergarten, etc.). I've also tried reductions such as "only on the weekend," but that hasn't quite worked. It's not like monsters take the weekend off, you know?

All right, you may be thinking that there could possibly be a little co-dependency going on here. You might be on to something. After all, I must admit that I'm a little scared of the dark. And who isn't afraid of things that go bump in the night? Didn't you ever hear that there is safety in numbers? Having someone nearby to call 911 while I beat up any monsters that manage to get into the monster-free zone is quite comforting.

Besides, I don't have to use cotton balls every single night to silence her snores (not very loud, but consistent). And most of the time, she stays on her side of the pillow we affectionately call "The Wall"-- to reduce the number of times her feet kick my face. But the biggest benefit for this arrangement manifests itself in my bouts with insomnia. It's at those times, that I look at her sweet angelic face sleeping peacefully next to me and I just smile at my blessing. She's an instant cure for loneliness.

So what's the harm? She'll be out of my room by the time I find a Prince Charming and live happily ever after, right?

Of course, she will. But just in case she's my permanent bed partner, I better make sure that I have a nice comfortable couch for Mr. Charming. Oh, yeah, I better have some monster repellent too.