Not Night-Night

As you might have gathered, Mama and I are pretty strict when it comes to bedtime.  Without fail, barrring the rarity of special social outings or family events, the kids are in bed by 7:30 p.m..  A church supper or school movie starts at 7?  Not gonna go.  We've even been known to skip bathing and shorten stories to get in bed on time.  This bedtime obsession stems from our firm belief, drawn from experience, that getting a full night's sleep is the most important thing for our kids on a daily basis.  They can compensate for mediocre meals or a skipped bath, cope with not getting outside playtime or rushing through homework, or any other parenting failure/lapse/oversight/laziness once in a while.  But if they don't get enough sleep, they don't function well.  For days. It's immediate and absolute.  They're crabby and argumentative, lose focus and creativity, are prone to injury and tears and illness.  Few evenings of fun are worth that price, especially as we read about studies showing the loss of IQ points after weekend sleep shifts and the negative effects of not enough (like the whole phenomenon of modern teenagerhood).   We all have our things; this is ours.

Which is why I'm amazed that there is now a nighttime television show for kids.  By Jim Henson's company, no less.  Called "Pajanimals," the  show is intended to help little kids go to sleep.  Seriously?  I know adults will nod off to the late night shows, but have you ever seen a child fall asleep watching tv?  Ever?  Not me.  They fight sleep, prop their own eyes open, kick themselves black and blue to stay awake--it's happened here at rest time on numerous occasions.

Anyway, in full disclosure, I haven't seen the show at all and will not be screening it for Sis and Bud.  But I loved the review in the NYTimes, which focused on one line in one episode of the show--"Blankie will be safe with Mom."  If you have a child with a blankie, had a blankie yourself, are a mom, or even just have a mom, go read the review for a wonderful laugh.  I promise it won't put you to sleep.

(Note to my own mom, who did throw away one of my childhood blankies:  I'm not rubbing salt in that guilty wound on purpose!  But my second childhood blankie is safe under my bed . . . . )