To sleep, perchance to dream

Can someone please explain to my two-year old that bad dreams can only come after one has actually fallen asleep?

This, of course, is the same boy who at 7:30 told his father, "I'm so sorry. I can't read a book. It's time for bed."

Hurray, I thought. My night-owl is learning that early to bed, early to rise is wise.

Not so, my friends. That only started a round of stealthily jumping into his sleeping brother's crib once we had gently and quietly tucked him in. And then he decided that jumping on his little brother really wasn't enough fun (although by the squeals of delight that proceeded out of that room, the little brother couldn't have been awakened in a more fantastically fun way).

The two-year old somehow managed to rip the "magic wand" from the blinds so that he could use it to repeatedly dub his younger brother a knight.

I'm sure that's what he was intending to do, because otherwise someone might have mistaken it for bludgeoning. I hear that's a punishable offense.

Of course, the two-year old did start to sing, "Good Night, Sweetheart" to his little brother once the screaming ensued.

Then after I kept hearing a round of, "Mommy?" and bed jumping (the one-year old falling into a deep, coma induced sleep by this point), I thought he had gone to sleep.

I went to shut his door so that when his father got back from work, the noise wouldn't disturb them. It was, after all 9:45 and WAY past my bedtime.

Alas, that well-meant door shutting attempt led to the joyous, "MOMMY!" and then an artful repositioning of the face to the "I'm-so-pitiful-please-let-me-watch-TV" as he said, "I'm so sad, Mommy. I'm so sad."

It might have been because he had taken his sleeper off and was "sleeping" quite in the buff.

I took him downstairs so that we wouldn't disturb the slumber of the one-year old and he said, "Mommy, what happened to my TV? I had a bad dream and the TV helps me feel better." (no joke)

I don't know, but if anyone wants to come over and explain that to him...I'll be in bed.