You Can't Go To Bed, Yet!

I had just finished reading with my youngest son tonight (Little Bear, with him reading about 55% of it to me!) and yawned. I told him I was a little tired, so I told him I was thinking about going to bed. He looked aghast and told me that I couldn't do that.

"Why not?" I asked.

"Because Mom isn't going to bed," he answered.

"You mean I can't go to bed without Mom?" I asked.

"No."

"Why not?"

"Because Mom stays up late," he proclaimed.

I giggled a little at this, and then asked him if I could go to bed early if Mom went to bed early, too.

"No," he said. "You have to stay up!"

"Why?" I wondered.

"That's just the rule."

"It is?"

"Yes!" he proclaimed.

So, there you have it. Moms have to stay up late, and Dads can't go to bed early without them. That's the rule straight from a 5-year-old.