Thursday, March 26, 2009

Late Nights with the Leapster

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My house is full of all sorts of toys. I'll come downstairs and find a stable of My Little Pony figures set up or a battle scene between knights or Star War figures. Toys just seem to be everywhere.

The one place toys aren't allowed is bed unless they are stuffed animals. Or at least, they aren't supposed to be there.

Let's backtrack a week or so ago. My youngest was looking very tired, exhausted really with dark circles under her eyes and pale skin. I was becoming concerned that something was wrong with her. She was irritable and would pretty much collapse in the afternoon. No more arguments about whether she needed a nap or not. I was ready to call the doctor.

I first wanted to make sure she was getting enough good sleep. I separated the three kids and made them sleep in their own rooms. This met with protests from the youngest, but the older two seemed relieved. My oldest daughter said maybe now she'd be able to sleep. I asked what she meant. She said Rose would keep her up.

This set off my mommy radar. I knew they would talk a little, but not that much.

I went into Rose's room to tuck her in. When I put my hand on her bed, I felt something under her covers. Her Leapster. I took it away much to her protests, but she knows the rules about toys in bed. The next morning she woke up looking and acting more like her old self. Hmmm. I talked to the other two kidlets. Turns out Rose had been taking her beloved Leapster to bed and playing with it until the wee hours of the night. (She usually only plays with it in the car or waiting while the other kids take their Irish dance classes.) I asked why they didn't tell me, and they said they didn't want to get her in trouble!

After a few nights of no Leapster play, everyone's rested and back to normal. And just to be on the safe said, I make sure the Leapster is out of reach come nightfall!