That's life after having children. First, there are the obvious infant/toddler years of sleeplessness, where you are the provider of milk and clean diapers (and sheets and jammies), and the safe shelter in the storm of bad dreams. As you come to the tween years, every possible mistake you may be making haunts your slumber. And, while I am not there yet, I have been led to believe by my own parents that teenage years are fraught with worry about the safety of your offspring - a condition that apparently never ends so long as you both shall live...great, that last phrase will now make me gasp in the face of the sandman this evening.
But I digress. I am talking about that rite of passage of childhood - having your friends spend the night so you can all stay up late, play video games, eat junk food, and pass out in a puppy pile of exhausted boys. I have resisted attempts on the part of my sons to host such an event for quite a while, but with the start of the new school year looming and reciprocal invites outstanding, I relented. Poor timing on my part - my husband was to be going to work several hours earlier than normal this morning, but he okayed it, insisting on all the frills and spills associated with a sleep over, like the good sport he is.
And the boys were fabulous. They played Wii until 1am, stopping for snacks laid out for them on the table - I included wasabi peanuts because I cannot remember when the "dare you to eat that" age comes about - before heading off to bed down in my sons' room. They brushed their teeth before settling in! I am reasonably sure my spouse's 5 hours of snooze time were unaffected by the presence of 3 boys between 8 and 10.
Nope, it was the cat that kept us up. Our wretched 16 yr old Himalayan, who has been nothing but trouble since the day I got her as a kitten. The furry monster who has been the demise of many a comforter, couch and mattress. The beast actually peed on the bed while I was in it. I almost managed to change the sheets without waking the bed's other occupant. And of course, she had left some other prizes in the loft, fortunately discovered and disposed of by me and not the dog.
I'd like to say this was the first time we've had late night sheet changes courtesy of the cat. She spent the night in the laundry room with her handiwork. She is staring at me from behind the baby gate right now. And she is not coming out.
