Do you remember when your daughter was but a wee-little-lass and you tucked her into bed with her favorite stuffed animals?
Oh, we had Suzie the hurricane-hair doll, Beethoven the giant St. Bernard, and Villanova Bear who was left in a Philadelphia hotel room one sad Thanksgiving weekend.
But have you ever peeked into your teenager's bedroom while she is sleeping? (I know it's hard - but try setting your alarm for 4:00 a.m. and take a gander. . . ) The first thing you will notice is a certain glow from your daughter's cell phone - proving that she has sent, or received, a text within the last five minutes. Are you surprised? I recently spent the night in a hotel room with my two teenage daughters and I now have concrete evidence that my daughters text in their sleep!
But I was surprised last week to find out what else my daughter sleeps with. (Don't get all excited here. . . I said What not Who!!!!)
As many of you know by now, I have been diagnosed with a nomadic sleeping disorder. And last week, when my college-aged daughter was home for the night, I heard the garage door open at 2:00 a.m. I knew that when I went to bed this particular daughter was doing laundry, and so my first thought was: I bet that her thong got caught up in the spinning device again and she had to take a trip to the all-night laundromat. And so I hopped out of bed to check, and found Daughter Number One sound asleep in her bed.
Now, years ago I would have awakened my sleeping husband to tell him that I distinctly heard the garage door open. I then would have stayed in bed, with my hand on the phone ready to dial 9-1-1 , as he investigated the scene.
But that, my friends, was years ago when my children were young and I still thought we had something to defend. Last week, I took one look at that sleeping beauty and thought, What will he do that I can't? and headed straight to the garage where the light still shining (just like those cell phones) revealed what I already knew - that garage door had been opened, or closed, within the last two minutes.
Next, I turned my attentions to the outside of the house. . . turning on every outside light and peering out the windows. . . when I heard a faint, Mom? coming from Daughter Number Two's bedroom.
Quick as a flash, I ran there, just in time to hear her say. . . . In case you're wondering, I rolled over on my car keys and heard the garage door open and so I shut it again.
Yes, my daughter proudly sleeps with her car keys.
And, after that little episode , I Didn't sleep a wink! the entire night!
