Child Bewilderment

Carrie spent the night. Bathed, shampooed and toenails and fingernails degrimed during the soak in the tub, she dressed in her pajamas and put her makeup on. Slashes of pearl white eyeshadow brushed liberally on her eyelids, lipstick caked on as though she had a hot bar date, we climbed into bed and flipped on the TV to watch Noggin.

As we cruised through the channels, she saw a dinosaur on the screen. She screamed to halt which I did. Jurassic Park was playing and the dinosaurs had captured her attention. We watched the huge creatures devour the small humans, attack cities and disappear into the night.

She would squeal and hide her head beneath the covers, peak out and watch some more all the while asking questions about what was happening on the screen.

Later during the night, she woke and demanded I turn on a light. She cuddled close; I thought she just wanted to be near me. I tried to slip out of the bed to get to the fridge for something cold to drink and this is when I found out that the closeness she offered me was for her comfort. She wanted to go with me to the kitchen. She grabbed my hand and we slipped down the darkened hallway to the kitchen. I heard her soft voice declaring "there isn't a boogie man; that's just a story". She repeated this a few times on the way to and from the fridge. Back in the bedroom we turned on the TV to watch a cartoon in the hopes that she would settle down. It's now 2AM and from this time forward, I have made a promise to be more selective of her TV viewing.

A lot of lost sleep time here last night but I have plenty of time for a nap today; a nap for both Carrie and me.