"Wanna play 'frades"?
I open one eye groggily and see Delbert's smiling face next to mine on the pillow. He is covering his ears with his hands to block out my husband's soft snoring.
"Wanna play 'frades.""? Louder this time, closer to meltdown.
It's 4:45 am and my alarm is set to go off in 20 minutes.
"Not yet" I reply, turning to face the other way "it's still nighttime. Go back to bed."
"I wanna play 'Frades!!!" He is shouting now, and I can hear tears on the edge of his voice. Any louder and he will wake up 7 year old Gilbert sleeping in the next room.
I sometimes think these are the moments that define you as a mom. Being a good mom or a bad mom boils down to these kinds of decisions. Do I put him back to bed, back on schedule, back on track to a healthy, productive life? Or do I scoop him up and put him in bed with me, spoiling him and ruining his chance at ever having healthy adult relationships?
Neither. As usual I take the path of least resistance and slowly pull myself up to a sitting position.
"Okay, let's play charades. What are you acting out? Movie, tv show, book?" My voice is still husky, my husband is still snoring.
Delbert smile face lights up.. He quickly moves to the center of my bedroom "Superhero!!!" He booms.
Of course.
I watch him go through the clues he uses each and every round and tentatively call out all the superhero names i know.
"Hulk?" "iron man?"batman?" red hulk?" "ice man?". I am grasping at straws.
Right before I run out of get through the 10 superheroes I know, Delbert grins again and nods. I know I haven't guessed it, I don't even think he knows which superhero he was acting out, but he is done with his turn.
Which means I am up next.
From my bed I act out football. I am not sure if "sports" is even a legitimate category in charades, and I am not sure of the official rules of only acting out "sports" that don't require standing, but soon it's Delbert's turn again.
"Superhero" he screams.
"Hulk?" "Iron man?" "Batman?" "Red hulk?" "Ice man?"
We play until the alarm goes off. From the shower I can hear my husband's soft snores, followed by a long list of superhero names,
