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Calling from the second floor, “Mom, MOM, MOOOM”, with a gradual crescendo after I wake from my nightmare. Bad dreams have always been a regular occurrence for me. Just last week I was yelling in my own dream to “wake up”, to relieve myself from the misery.

Fast forward thirty years and I hear the cry, scream or the call for Mom. It’s two am and I crawl out of bed with a few options before me. Crawl into the twin size bed and cuddle until they fall back asleep, where I likely won’t have enough covers nor a pillow, or let them come into my bed if they are really scared. Have you every invited a little kid into your bed? My goal is getting back to sleep, and warm and cozy soon, but the little kid in your bed feels like sleeping next to a nightcrawler which has just landed on dry cement. The constant movement and contorting keeps me awake. Maybe I should just return to their bed and leave them sleeping with their dad who has no clue any of this is happening.

One kid had a stretch of so many nightmares; I set up a makeshift bed on the floor. The thick comforter, folded into quarters is nice and thick, the pillow set and ready too. My lack of sleep and goosebumps are minimized with this solution. Now, I can sleep in my bed, drop an arm, and hold a hand. Ahhh! Zzzzzzzz -back to sleep.

Fast forward thirty-five years and I am no longer dealing with nightmares, other than my own, but something else taking up space in the bed. Joints and muscles of everyone I know are getting stiff and sore, so we look for DIY tricks for improvement which suggest pillows. Jeff uses a pillow under his arm to alleviate a sore shoulder, which is like a third person in the middle of the bed. 

I research sore, lower back after helping install the broken privacy fence from our fallen tree. Knowing this isn’t a good idea, I appease Jeff, as it is Tuesday - the day he wants it done and I am the only one available at two in the afternoon. Number one: eliminate stomach sleeping, which I figured out on my own, without any research. Sleep is more difficult to come by if I am not on my stomach, but the pain is lessened. Number two: a firm pillow between the knees should help. It does, but now it is like four people in the bed. If I attempt to turn from one side to the other, I may fall off the bed as space is limited, adding more sore joints. Another bed, another room seems to be the best solution.  It is always me getting out from under the covers for nighttime mishaps.