Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Magic Monster Spray

We all do things to make our kids happy, keep them from being scared, and have them feeling safe. There is usually no logic behind them, at least not to us. However we find a way to make the kids believe in them, and count on them. Our job is to protect, nurture and love them. Even when they believe in something so silly all of a sudden they know doesn't exist. 

When my kids were little I used to use Monster Spray. When I went to tuck them in I would spray around the room, mostly in the air. Colin was 5 and MaKayla was 3. I am pretty sure I always grabbed the little silver bottle of room spray from The Body Shop. It smelled good and I wasn't harming anything spraying it. I figured at one point they would call me out, since I used other scents in the same bottle throughout the house. It never happened. With the move overseas the spray never really came back up. We did night lights and all was well. Monsters were kept a bay. 

The kids are now 9 and 7. Last night my son had a rather eventful nights sleep, or lack there of. They were tucked in at 7:30 pm as usual. I had just finished my workout at 8:30 pm and he comes walking out to the living room looking half asleep. He sits in the recliner and just looks at me. The conversation went something like this: 

Me- "Colin what do you need?"
Colin- "Mmm umm nothing"
Me- "Why are you out of bed?"
Colin shrugs
Me- "Colin are you awake?"
He stares at me. I walk over and help him up only to realize he is sleep walking(usually that is my daughters speciality). I walk him to his room and tuck him in once again. 

Around 2am he comes stumbling into my room and says he had a bad dream. I ask him about what and he says a scary movie in his dvd player that was trapping him in his room and he couldn't get out. He then says he was scared there was monsters under the bed so he sat on his bed working up the nerve to jump off and run to my room. Needless to say he slept with me the rest of the night after I reassured him it was just a dream. He hasn't watched any scary movies either, FYI.

So today after school at one point I realize he is not watching an animal show with us. I go to check on him and he isn't in his room. I make my way room by room and finally find him in the playroom watching a video about Minecraft. Mind you the playroom light is off so he is sitting in the dark. I ask what he is doing and he tells me. I ask why he is in there and not his room and he smirks. I repeat the question and he says he is scared. I asked of what and he says under his bed. I try not to laugh at him and remind him he is in the dark currently. So after dinner I give Daddy the job of taking him back to his room and cleaning under the bed and verifying nothing is there. All is well or so it appears. 

After everyone is in pajamas my daughter comes out and asks if I remember the Monster Spray I used to use. she then points out I always used air freshener and that is all it was. First she was no older than three, how the hell does she remember that lol. I tell them every Mom has a recipe for Monster Spray. Colin asks me to make some and use it tonight. I disappear and come back with Magically Blue Monster Spray, you know, because Monsters hate blue. In the dark it glows to Monsters only and they run away and cry. Kind of like white and light colors glows for butterflies and attracts them. It also smells good because Monsters like smelly things like dirty socks and garbage. 

Half an hour before bed I take him back to his room. We spray his closets, under his bed and all over his bed. He is satisfied. We do the same in her room. They both beg me to tell them the secret ingredients and I say Mom cant until your eighteen. my daughter is very insistent Monsters aren't real, but the spray will make her older brother feel better. They are both tucked in and no one has came out running as of yet. Here is to a nightmare, monster free evening! 

As for the Monster Spray? A spray bottle, a little fabric softener and water. Yeah, I'm a genius! LOL

On another note I used to have really bad dreams when I was little. I was trapped and would wake facing the wall or from sleep walking and be elsewhere and almost as if my eyes are broken and cant see I panic and fell all over trying to find the doorway. It was the same dream over and over and used to affect me a lot. Scared the shit out of me almost nightly. Bad dreams are no fun, but I hope if your children are having them it is short lived and bearable. 

Sweet Dreams!