I have been sleeping in a nook on the ground next to the bed where my 5 year old daughter and her little brother sleep. It’s one way of making sure neither of them sneak out to bother my wife and baby boy in the middle of the night (which they have been doing). I get a bit worse sleep, but at least I’ll go to bed earlier to compensate. Plus, my wife gets a bit better sleep. The math checks out to me.

The other morning, my 4 year old son was clearly dreaming. He was yelling in the early morning hours for a spoon. He seemed to be arguing with someone as well and he was so loud that it woke me up way too early.

My son ended up quieting down and I went back to sleep for a bit. When it was time to wake up for the day, I heard my son stirring. I asked him if he needed a spoon. He looked at me for a second and he started cracking up laughing. I asked him why he was laughing so hard and he said he remembers having a dream. Apparently in the dream, he gave his sister a spoon, but then wanted it back (or wanted at least another spoon) so he could finish his soup. He wanted the spoon very badly!

It was such a pleasant change from how we wake up most mornings (with sluggishness, yelling, rushing, etc.) since it was a lighthearted moment. Although it’s such a small fraction of time that most likely will be forgotten over time, those moments help set the tone for the day. And sometimes when we remember those kinds of moments, it still brings a smile to our faces.