A grandmother is a mother who has a second chance

Wednesday, August 22, 2007

Just when you thnk you're the coolest kid on the block..

I love going to bed at night. Getting all cozy, reading a book or watching tv before I fall asleep. In the winter I turn on my electric mattress pad about an hour before bedtime because I hate cold sheets. It's heavenly to get into the nice, warm bed when it's raining or cold outside. I come from a long line of people who love to sleep, and fall asleep easily. My dad fell asleep in the front row of a Fats Domino concert. My aunt fell asleep during a family poker game. And I once had to stand up to watch a movie on tv just so I wouldn't fall asleep for the third time!

Even as a kid I loved going to bed and sleeping. From girls at work, and from my daughter, I hear about their woes in getting their kids to bed at night. My parents never had a worry. I was the perfect little angel who gleefully strolled to bed when told to do so. Well, except for a couple of times.

When I was four or five, I very clearly remember one special night when my whining voice was in high gear. I didn't want to go to bed and I made that perfectly clear to my parents. So my mother said, "Okay, Sandy [I spelled my name with a "y" back then], you can stay up and watch tv with me and Dad, but you have to stay up as long as we do." "Yippee!!" I thought.

Mom plopped me in the middle of them and we watched tv. After a couple of shows (probably Dinah Shore, Perry Como, Dragnet), I finally got sleepy and announced that I was going to bed. "Oh, no" said my Mom. "You have to stay up with us until we go to bed, remember?" So, not to be outdone, I struggled to stay awake. To no avail. I was sleepy and wanted to get into my nice soft bed. But, noooooooo. My head was flopping around, I was fidgety, probably making pitiful little martyr sounds. Finally tv was over for the night and we all went to bed. I can tell you it was a long time before I asked to stay up late again!

Then I got a bit more cunning. Somewhere around six or seven, I went to bed one night and heard my parents watching I Love Lucy. Man, I wanted to watch that show, too. But I didn't dare ask. My bedroom was down the hall from the living room and at the juncture of hall and living room there was a floor heater. Mom used it as a clothes dryer - she would put the laundry on the folding wooden clothes and place the rack over the heater vent so they could dry. I crept out of my room and hid behind the rack. Heh, heh, heh - If I bent over a little bit I had a clear shot of the tv between my dad's shirt and one of my mom's aprons. I was so clever I even stunned myself. Had to stifle all laughter. Got a bit uncomfortable being all stooped over but it was worth it. Oh, that Lucy and Desi. Finally the show was over. I had won! I was so proud of myself! Until I heard my mom say, "The show's over, Sandy, you can go to bed now" She knew! All the time I thought I was being so brilliant she knew. And she didn't even have the courtesy to let me sit somewhere comfortable instead of bending over like a pretzel trying to peek through the clothes.

It's amazing I survived my childhood.

6 comments:

Desert Diva said...

ROFL - Parents are ALWAYS smarter than their children. I'm sure you found that out when you had your own.

As for sleep I toss and turn every night - I actually hate the time I spend sleeping in a way. Maybe I need to get one of those heated mattress pads...

Anonymous said...

OMG...I love going to bed too. It is such a warm fuzzy feeling.
I especially love going to sleep during the winter. ;)

Halfmexican Mama said...

you sound like you have some really cool parents!! love it!

Wendy said...

Mine goes to bed easily most nights. Amazing how Mom's know everything...I'm just learning how that all works now!

Calico Sky said...

lol I too love my bed and relaxing in it. Seriously I wish I could be like Sharon Osborne with a double king size bed, my family around me and someone to bring me diet coke, grapes, cupcakes and chips! lol oh yes and purple kool aid slushies!

I used to creep downstairs and sit on the steps, looking through the mirror in the hall to watch Dallas...my dad knew and used to smile at me through the mirror while my mom never suspected a thing, until I fell asleep on the stairs. D'oh!

As always, wonderful stories!

Jenni said...

I may have to try Gram's "you can stay up as long as we do" trick with Vika and Eamon.

Wish I had inherited the "falls asleep easily" gene. I can toss and turn for hours trying to get to sleep!