Evan is standing at the table beside me building a Lego Robot. This is not a kit. It is from his imagination. There are wings and weapons galore. He stops occasionally to update me on all of its powers and destructive capabilities. Evan, like every 7 year old, has quite the imagination. He very much believes in monsters. Especially in the dark. This makes bed time complicated.
I bought bunk beds for the boys before Evan came home last summer. Ben planned to sleep on the top. He said Evan could have the bottom, bigger bunk so that I could lie down with him as he went to sleep. This was something I had done with Ben, and then I would return to my own room. I made a point of sleeping in my own bed. Then, everything changed.
Before long, Ben decided he was lonely on the top bunk, so he came down. The bottom bunk wasn’t quite wide enough for three, so we decided to sleep horizontally. Evan is afraid of the dark and monsters, so we leave the nearby bathroom light on. We all get into the bed with our books. I have to take the middle position to protect Ben, who falls asleep first – and is therefore vulnerable to attacks and harassment by Evan. These are not mean-spirited. Ben is just so peaceful and such an easy target. Evan cannot resist poking him, rolling on him, splaying his legs across Ben.
Evan is oddly impulsive at times – just last night he decided to see what would happen if he tried to lift my eyelid by prying the wing of a toy underneath. Let’s just say, as exhausted as I was, I wasn’t amused. It is unlikely he will try that again.
Evan has an inexhaustible supply of energy and stays awake longer than the rest of us. I have given him a book light, and he enjoys looking through a stack of books nightly. Sometimes, I will wake up in the middle of the night after being whacked with a stray foot or arm and I return to my bed. Sometimes I sleep till the morning. I now understand why God in his infinite wisdom has made me a single parent at this time. I always find evidence of Evan’s nighttime activities – book light on, toys strewn across the bed, food wrappers on the floor.
You might think that Evan would awake exhausted every morning, but he does not. He must get enough sleep, because he functions quite well. Our morning routine is fairly mundane. The boys get up, bathe, dress in their school uniforms, and have breakfast. I am thankful that Evan complies easily with this routine on most mornings. Lord knows, I don’t need extra stress in the morning. Ben and Evan watch a little T.V. while I shower and get ready for work. They watch for the bus. When the bus arrives, we run out the door. Evan bursts past poor Ben, even if Ben is in front of him at the door. He turns to laugh, victorious, and clamors up the steps. Ben groans. I tell them both to have a great day and I stand on the sidewalk as the bus pulls away. I wave and blow kisses as I watch them disappear. Ben waves and blows kisses back. Evan presses his face against the window, puts his thumbs in his ears, waves his fingers and sticks his tongue out as far as he can, wagging his head from side to side. I laugh. That’s my boys, Sweet and Sour.
