The Monster in the Mirror

Ella is a good sleeper. She always has been. This is the kid who slept 12 hours at night and took a 3 hour morning nap until she was ready for preschool. I asked the doctor if I should be concerned and he basically told me to "shut up before another mother heard me!" She wouldn't even sleep in our room as a baby. She switched from the bassinet at 3 weeks!!! Okay, so you get my point, now her latest escapade.

Ella has been showing up in our room the last couple of nights and tonight, I just couldn't get her to settle down and go to bed. Two nights ago, she had a bad dream and insisted that there was a "frog faced monster" in her bedroom mirror. After 4 trips to our bed between 2 and 4 a.m. Troy and I didn't care WHAT she saw in the mirror, we were ready for sleep! We basically brushed it off!

The next day, she still insisted the monster was there, in the mirror, in it's own bedroom, watching her. I offered to take the mirror away, but she likes it, it's like a fairytale mirror, and she has pictures stuck around the edges, so it's part of her room. Finally, we found a compromise. I told her we should draw a really happy picture and put it on the mirror to keep the monster away. We did, she taped it up and last night was fine.

Tonight, we put her to bed and she kept getting up. Troy talked to her, then I heard her up there just quietly sobbing!! I talked her to and finally got her to tell me that she's afraid of the monster in the mirror and it's scaring her every night. OKAY I'M A HORRIBLE PARENT!!!

So I ask if she wants me to take the mirror and she sobs more, "NO I WANT IT BACK TO NORMAL!" So I take the picture off and she sobs more "BUT THE MONSTER IS THERE!" So we walk up to the mirror, I carry her, she points at the mirror to show me what's scaring her, I call Troy we turn lights off and on, looking in the mirror, finding the scary spots, and finally realize it's a picture frame and Tinkerbell figurine on her shelves which are casting the ominous reflections in her mirror!!! I move them, even let her hold Tinkerbell and suddenly the monster is GONE!!!

My girl was smiling again when she went to bed. Troy and I both felt better for having stuck with this until we made it okay for her. She was happy, and safe and comfy in her room again tonight. Thank goodness!