Smi­ling Mom: Good night kids. Books are done, I’ve snug-a-bugged both of you, and now it is time for you to go to sleep. The night-light is on and I’m shut­ting the door.

Smi­ling Kids: NOOO, don’t shut the door!!

SM: I’m shut­ting the door. Good night.

SK: NOOO, wait, I have to blow my nose, I need a drink of water, I have to peeeee. Wait, I was just refi­nishing the kitchen table. Wait!! I want to write a let­ter to Grandpa!

SM: Good night!

BC: Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Mommy? Mommy?

SM: (Igno­ring the repea­ted calls for attention)

BC: I’m sca­red. I’m sca­red. I’m sca­red. I’m sca­red. I’m sca­red. I’m sca­red. I’m sca­red. I’m scared.

SM: (Finally relen­ting to the inces­sant calls, opens the door) What? What are you sca­red of??

BC: My room, the door shut, the dark.

SM: Every night you go to sleep in the same room with your sis­ter. There is nothing to be sca­red of. Good night.

BC: But I’m scared.

SM: Well. What do you want me to do about it??

BC: Replace me.

SM: Oh, I’ve thought of repla­cing you before buddy! What do you mean ‘replace’?

BC: You know… like you take me and put me in your bed, or you come into my bed and lay with me.

SM: (chuc­kling and still reve­ling in the idea of repla­cing my son with a robot who cleans or something that cooks for me) No BC, I don’t ‘replace’ you when you are scared.

BC: When I say so, you do it! OK?

SM: OK honey.

How can I argue with that?