By Bob
December 26, 1999
For more than six years, Bonnie and I helped a single mother raise her two daughters, Sabrina from age 7 on, and Ana from birth on. Starting when Ana was only 4 months old, our goddaughters stayed overnight with us every Friday night, and whenever they were sick or their mom needed a break.
When it was time for bed, I usually read to them. When Ana was a baby and Sabrina was in 2nd or 3rd grade, we'd read Dr. Suess books, Curious George books, and books that taught Ana her colors and shapes. When Ana was old enough to understand them, I read from Beverly Cleary's "Ramona" books. A few times, Ana fell asleep while I was still reading. Most times, though, she stayed awake for the whole story, grinning at the funny parts, and asking me to re-read her favorite parts.
When Ana was still a baby, I bought a little round Mickey Mouse night light for her, so that if she woke up during the night, she could see where she was and not be afraid. Even before she was old enough to know what I was saying, I there was a little speech I told her, right before I kissed her goodnight. "Now, if you wake up during the night, you just look at the Mickey Mouse night light and remember that you're at Bob's house, and you'll be fine." After my speech, Ana would smile at me and lay back onto her pillow. I'd pull her covers up to her chin and tuck them around her. Then, I'd give her a little goodnight kiss, and she'd close her eyes. Many times, I'd sit on the edge of her bed and watch her fall asleep. It usually took her less than 3 minutes to fall asleep, but it was really hard to tell when she actually fell asleep, because she'd keep smiling, even after she was asleep.
It quickly became "a tradition" for me to remind Ana about the Mickey Mouse night light every time she slept over at our place. As she got older, she'd say the words with me, grinning at me as she repeated the words that she had heard ever since before she had known what they meant.
Of course, the Mickey Mouse night light was never really necessary. Though she stayed overnight with us over 400 times, Ana never once woke up scared at our place. But, I still have the Mickey Mouse night light. Its sealed neon bulb burned out a few years ago, but I still keep it in Ana's room as another reminder of all the wonderful times we shared.