Peek-a-boo at bedtime

The other day (o-kay, more like a month ago), I read a post over at Antique Mommy about a game that she and Antique Daddy play with their son. It's just a simple game of chase that got made up one day and has become something special to just their family.

It got me to thinking about our own family games. Games that, much like the Antique family, we have just made up and will always be unique to our little family. Games that I hope my children remember when they are grown and gone. Moments in time that I pray they can look back upon and remember as a happy moment in their childhood when mom and dad just played along with them.

One game in particular is our version of hide and seek / peek-a-boo at bed time every night. It seems that my little man can hardly shut his eyes if he and I don’t play this little game.

Ever since Sarah was a baby, bedtime has been dad’s domain. This started as a special time for him to spend with them (and give me a break) since he was gone all day and I was home. And now, even though we are both working outside of the house, it has just somehow kind of continued.

But, once the lights are out and everyone is all snuggled in bed, I appear and children disappear.

I walk into Nathan’s room after Mike has tucked him into bed and said prayers and I see him as he frantically pulls the quilt up over his head.

“Where did Nathan go?” I ask as I walk around the room. “He was here just a minute ago. Is he in the toy box? No. Is he under the bed? No. Well, I was going to tell him goodnight, but I guess I’ll just sit down here on his bed.”

As I sit I lean so that I’m resting lightly on top of him.

“Wow, this bed is kind of lumpy.”

He wiggles around.

“And this bed is kind of wiggly.”

He giggles.

“And this bed is kind of giggly.”

I reach over and begin to feel around on the quilt that is covering him up.

“What is going on with this bed and with this quilt? It’s lumpy and wiggly and giggly.”

At this point he is laughing hysterically as I tickle him under the quilt. And then I pull the quilt down so I can see his sweet laughing face.

“There he is!”

And usually we sing a song as he settles back down to go to sleep.

Until the next night. When we’ll do it all again.