A Bedtime Story for Mom and Dad

Picture Courtesy of Karin Asensio

At one in the morning my toddler screams from her room
    "Mommy, I need you!" she wails with gloom.
With eyes half open and feet full of lead
   I make my way down the hall to the side of her bed.
There she is sitting, with paci in hand,
    And a grin on her face, that I truly can't stand.
"My leg hurts," she offers, with little conviction;
    I bend down to kiss it, not showing suspicion.

For the rest of the night, at every half hour
    She chimes like a clock wound up with full power.
At two-thirty, I tell her "Please stop this! Enough!"
    "If you don't go to sleep, I'll..." I bluff.

Well, that doesn't help, she now starts to cry.
    My threat isn't working, so a new tactic I try.
I lie down beside her, softly stroking my dear
    While whispering princess songs in her ear.
 Twenty minutes later she seems deeply asleep,
    And I try to get up without making a peep.

Read the rest here.