Every mother's fear

No you never, ever sleep with the peace that you slept with before you have children. You think infancy is worse than post diaper time, think again.

I awoke suddenly at 3:03 AM, I must have sensed something in my spirit. I then heard hurried feet across the hardwood floors and I knew something was quite wrong. My eldest daughter in her teenage panic began to express her fear of the "creeper at her window". She had been up, afraid to move for the noises outside. She sat in the darkness for at least twenty minutes, thought she might wet her pants. She prayed and finally had the courage to move, to get help, or at least go to the bathroom. She then, to her horror, looked outside the window just in time to see the black "thing" cross her path! "Mom!" She didn't know that instincts had already awaken me, (that spiritual connection you have with your children.) She recapped the story, and then said, " I finally looked out the living room window and the llama was in the street!"
Joel, who had been listening, didn't flinch until he heard that, then he was out of the bed and clothed in 2.3 seconds. I cringed, knowing that I had to help. I wanted to say, "Why did you get those animals, again?" but I didn't, I just got up, got dressed, wound up the emergency flash light, that by the way is well worth the $2.95 on 75% clearance, and joined my husband in rounding up the donkeys. He had already gotten the llama in the gate with corn. Mia and I were basically to guard the path. Joel did his "scary jump" and the donkeys returned to the pen. As I was walking back up to the house I said, Mia, why didn't you just say, " The animals are out." She said, " Well, then you wouldn't have listened to my story."

So, just thought I would give you nonparents and parents of little ones, something to look forward to. If not the animal story then something else, but trust me there will always be something else! Meanwhile, I tossed and turned for the next 2 1/2 hours. Gotta love it.