True Love

Its Friday night. And the heat has finally broken in Arizona. We've been at our neighborhood park 3 nights in a row and it has been packed. Today there was an impromptu neighborhood party. People showed up with pizzas and coolers and children in tow. There were footballs and soccer balls and kids all around. It was a total suburban shindig. And Riley was in heaven, immediately ditching her shoes and rolling around in the sand. Eating 2 bites of pizza before running off to play. I came home early to put Reegan to bed and Chris stayed with Riley. After they returned home and we scrubbed away all the night's fun in the bath, it was past Riley's bedtime. But for the second night this week Riley seems a bit scared in her room again (naturally, of the garbage and recycle truck). She does not ask us to rub her back or stay in her room. Instead, she asks us to stay outside her door. Until her clock turns green (i.e. she gets up to start her day).

She asks me in the sweetest voice to stay out of her room until morning. I agree, but tell her I can't stay all night. And as I shut the door she says "Mommy?" I say "yes". She says "Mommy?" I again say "yes". She says she cannot hear me and I open the door. I tell her I will have to go downstairs if she cannot be quiet and go to sleep. She asks me if her fan is off or on b/c she doesn't miss a thing...I casually turned the switch on my way out b/c it will get cooler overnight and by 10pm her blankets will be off. And out I go. I could go downstairs, but here I sit outside her door. Because I know her fears are just as real as mine were when I was a little girl. And I will always remember my dad sitting at our dining room table watching me as I slept b/c I was scared. Of a shark. I remember waking up and there he was, just like he said he would be.

Man, my life and my Friday nights have totally changed.