For the last two weeks I’ve been woken up in the middle night hearing about characters from the NumberJacks taking over the house, spooky goings on and creaking noises. It must be that stage in a child’s life where everything starts to become REAL! It seems as if my little ones have suddenly developed the most creative of minds when it comes to nightmares and scary dreams needing to run frantically into our bedroom, slam the door shut and, in a frenzy, tell me all about the spooky goings on in their minds (Michael most of the time sleeps through all of it I hasten to add). The stories are elaborate and quite funny but at least I end up with a cuddle or a foot in my face for the rest of the night.

I do sympathise with them as I myself remember all those times when I would see scary monster faces appear within the curtains or be too afraid to get out of bed for fear I’d be caught by one of the ghosts from Scooby Doo. I’d lay still in bed and not move hoping at some point tiredness would finally grip me and put me out of my misery. I can laugh about it now as those times are many years behind me, but for my little ones, I need to be there to comfort them and ensure they feel safe and secure. So, I’ve started doing sleepovers in their bedrooms, where I make a bed on their bedroom floor and leading up to bedtime we chat about how their feeling, read books together and laugh way too much before we all go to sleep. It’s the best thing ever and not only creates a fun memory for them to have, but also means I can look forward to a good night’s sleep!