A daughter, a light, and a cough at night

**Updated below***

Somehow we managed to get the kids to bed early last night. Both Mel and I finished getting them settled at 7:30 and then sat asking well, what do we do now? It was not to be.

Reagan gets to read before bed now until 8:30. I advised her that she should read for a 1/2 hour and then go to sleep, but she insisted she would read to 8:30.

At 8:40 I noticed her light still on, so in I charge, horns ablaze. Turns out she was in bed trying to sleep but two night lights were on plus her closet light. We were using the closet light as a cruch to get us past her being scared from the movie weeks ago. Seems she had grown accustomed to it.

So, I turned it off and explained that she was old enough to sleep with just two night lights. I left to pleas for the light. This turned into crying which promptly turned into a coughing fit where I fully expected her to hurl. That didn't happen, I got something worse:

"is the light that big a deal?" -Melissa

Well, heck yeah it is. IF we cave the light, what is next? co bunking? A phone in her room? (which is like inviting in the gators :ie boys) We head down a path filled with pitfalls and me feeling like we are not doing our job. Odd that Mel is the softy and me the punisher, but so be it.

Unfortunately, Mel got up and calmed her down and let her turn the light back on. You can bet it will be off tonight. You know, until I am overruled by Mel again...

***Update: You should have bet. Light was off, all was well. No fighting, no complaing, no crying; nothing from Reagan either.

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