In preparation for a Halloween party last Friday, I trolled music videos on YouTube. I found many classics like Monster Mash and Ghostbusters but the king of them all is, of course, Michael Jackson’s Thriller.
My kids gathered around my computer. My 10-year-old Hadley was so engrossed she watched it twice while 8-year-old Bode was nervous but I wasn’t worried. Though he’s never seen a horror movie, he has no problems with Lord of the Rings and that’s way scarier, right?
Wrong.
Here’s how our evening played out:
9:40 p.m. I passed out early from exhaustion.
10:30 p.m. Daughter wake-up call.
Her: “Mom, Bode is crying.”
Me: “Why are you awake?!” (She had just recovered from a two-week stint with enterovirus-turned-pneumonia.)
Her: “I’m not tired.”
Me: “GET TO BED, NOW.”
10:31 p.m. Trudge to Bode’s room. He’s still asleep but obviously freaked out and crying. Soothingly hug and pat his back, whispering “it’s only a dream.” He quiets down.
11:05 p.m. He starts crying again. Mother of the Year lovingly calms him. At least The Daughter is finally asleep.
Midnight-ish Crying con’t. Maybe if I pretend he’s not crying, he’ll stop. Negative.
12:15 a.m. Bring him into my bed. Snuggle him tight as he falls into a feverish, Thriller-induced slumber.
12:20-1:55 a.m. Every 10-15 minutes, he cries out then goes back to sleep.
2 a.m. More crying, more soothing. Resolve I’m too old for this. How do women in the 40s handle newborn all-nighters?
2:15 a.m. He starts kicking me in his sleep. Gently move him away.
2:25 a.m. Fat Kitty abandons us, citing “at least one of us needs to get some sleep.”
2:30 a.m. After yet another shout-out, I am DONE. I scoop him up in his arms and carry him to his bed. Close the door.
2:33 a.m.-6:20 a.m. I finally get some sleep.
7 a.m. Bode wake-up.
“How are you feeling today? Do you remember your bad dreams?”
“No, not really. But how did I get into your bed last night?”
He was his usual chipper self while I looked like the walking dead the rest of the day.
Now, I finally get why “Thriller” is scary.
I'm a Canadian-born mom of two, former Denver Post columnist, family travel writer, editor of MileHighMamas.com and 9News contributor. Expert on all things Utah, Denver, family and travel. Lover of laughter and life. Happily married to a man obsessed with growing The Great Pumpkin. 