Both our middle child and youngest child have sleep issues. For no apparent reason, they both wake nearly every night at least once. We’ve tried everything to resolve the issue, and for periods of time here and there it has been better. But, after a brief season of great sleep earlier this summer, the Toddler is particularly struggling again lately. She wakes up somewhere between about 1 AM and 4 AM most every night crying for us to come get her. She’s not overly alarmed {we’ve ruled out night terrors}, she’s just upset that she’s alone. And, recently she’s been blaming it on the “monsters” she claims are in her room.
Me: There are no monsters in your room.
Her: Yes, dare is a monster.
Me: Where?
Her {pointing to an empty corner of the room}: Right dare.
See how this is a tricky discussion?
Fortunately, the Spouse works with a seasoned pharmacy tech {with grandchildren of her own} who mixed up a very special concoction last week for just such a time as this.
She calls it Anti-Monster Spray, and it’s infused with a heavy dose of watermelon syrup. She says the ingredients are a secret, but the results are usually the same. It wards off monsters. The instructions on the bottle read ,”Use 1-2 sprays in room where monsters are sighted.”
Apparently monsters don’t care for sweet smells, and this fruity spray keeps any and all of them at bay.
So, last night we sprayed the Anti-Monster Spray profusely throughout the Toddler’s room, much to her delight. And, this morning she slept till 5 AM without needing an intervention. It’s not a perfect result. But, it’s much better.
And, as a bonus, she woke up still smelling like a watermelon.
There was a time when I would have been completely opposed to this type of dramatic rigmarole before bedtime fearing that we would be validating her fear of monsters by pretending to fumigate them with watermelon. But, sleep deprivation changes a person. And, if I have to spray a few squirts of Anti-Monster Spray all over her room {and her pajamas} before bedtime, I’m all over it. Sleep is priceless. And, therefore, a properly labeled 5-oz bottle of fruit-scented water is also priceless.
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