The Zoo

For the past year, Son #2 has kept a zoo in his bed!! He has had about 50 stuffed animals in his loft. As long as his sleep was not disrupted and he did not play throughout the night, we did not make him remove the animals. He had them all organized and it was very important to him to have “his friends” sleep with him. Until one night, I caught him playing into the wee hours with “his friends” and I had reached my limit on the sheets…they HAD to be washed. I spent four hours one day cleaning his room…it was unbelievable. I think he must have had one of every animal known to man.

I knew he was going to be devastated when he saw that his animals had been evicted. I was able to keep him from his room until bedtime and then the sobbing began. He went through all of the steps of grief and, when I told him he could only sleep with three friends, he quickly began negotiating. It was exhausting...fortunately, Husband was there for back-up. Son #2 is a really good negotiator!

The next AM, there were 12 animals in his bed! What a stinker. It was now or never…it was time to show him who was boss! Effective immediately, he could have two animals in his bed. For every night he fell asleep without messing around, he could add an animal up to ten. The total zoo would never again exceed ten. So far, so good. Some nights, it has been like Sophie’s Choice as he chooses who will be among the chosen few, but he is respecting the rule and everyone is taking it very seriously. The best part is that now I can wash his sheets again.