Kid's corner

I came home this evening at about 21:00. When I entered our living room, I heard stumbling and footsteps in Elias' room. Because Nathan cannot get out of bed, I figured Elias was -- for the very first time -- out of bed when he should be asleep, as he went to bed at about 19:30. So, I took a walk upstairs to check on matters, expecting him to be up looking at his brother or something similar. To my astonishment, however, the open door revealed that the light in the room was in fact turned on. So, I entered the room, trying to hide my laughter.

Elias was sitting upright in his bed, more or less in the corner, but not quite. The reason was pretty obvious: he had taken down all his stuffed animals from inside the cupboard and those he could reach on top of it, and neatly stacked them on top of each other next to his pillow. When he saw me, he did not gloat, not did he hide his face, but simply asked me: I have been good, have I not? The most difficult part of parenting, in my opinion, is deciding what to get angry about and where to draw the line. Elias is a good boy, and if I may say so, perhaps too good. He almost never did anything wrong, but he also took little initiative to explore his world, so on the one hand, I am happy that he has started to show some spirit. Thus, I decided to bounce back the question, asking him if he thought it was a good idea to switch on the light while his brother was sleeping. Clearly, he did not, as was revealed by the head that fell to his chest. So, we made a deal. Three animals in bed, and no touching of the animals in the cupboard after the lights went out -- and no turning them back on (one has to close all potential loopholes, another difficult issue) -- with the promise that if he took them again, they would magically disappear to the attic. I'm loath to do the latter, as some bears belong to me or Veerle.

Anyhow, it is now 21:13 and somebody still is not sleeping. Strange, how he really needs his sleep and decides against it. Strange also how this seemed to have changed in the course of but a few weeks.