Daddy Post

Tonight, after I put Noodle to sleep (she still insists on sleeping in my bed), I cleaned her fish tank. Yes, a fish tank. Noodle has a ryukin goldfish named Rainbow, that is all gold except for whispers of white on the tips of it translucent split tail. While I knew having a goldfish would be work, I originally bought it to encourage her to sleep in her own room. If I was a grown-up, I'd want to sleep in her room. She has a walk-in closet that is big enough to house an entire twin bed by itself, plus some wall hangings to spruce it up. Speaking of spruce, she has the artificial Christmas tree in her closet to constantly remind her that her favorite holiday is only months away (she can count backwards). Her room comes with its own full bathroom, where she can brush her teeth, going potty, and take baths. It is unofficially the "guest" bathroom, but decorated with monkeys and kids things. Her room is huge, and I'm not exaggerating. It's most likely 12 x 14 and has the doll house, play kitchen, arts and crafts table, storage toy bins, safari tent, and seating. And there's still room to throw a blanket on the floor and have a picnic without having to step over somebody. Add to this, her 12 gallon fish tank that houses a single goldfish (this is actually the minimum size for a single goldfish). You see, as a daddy who thinks he knows it all, I tried to think what would encourage her to sleep in her own bed at night, so she wouldn't kick me. It was either a television or fish tank. I gave her the option, and she chose fish tank. She chose the fish, and the tank, and we were off. I was filled with hope and optimism. The first night, not a chance. We had to condition the tank for at least 24 hours before we brought the fish home to put into the tank. She cuddled up next to me in my bed and fell asleep within minutes. The second night, she fell asleep in her bed. And, so did I. I woke up an hour later with that opium daze of not knowing what time it is or why you're sleeping curled up in the corner of your child's bed. Of course, two hours later, she woke up and came into my bed anyway. The next time we tried it, I sat on the floor next to her after reading her a story, and she fell asleep. One hour later, out she came while I was checking my email, and asked to sleep in my bed. She fell asleep there within seconds. The next time we tried, it took her over an hour to drift off. And of course, 45 minutes later, she climbed into my bed to sleep. And this brings us, several weeks later, to where we are tonight. She brushes her teeth in my bedroom. She snuggles up in my bed. She falls asleep in minutes. Meanwhile, as she snores away, Daddy cleans the fish tank, changes the water, feeds the fish, and pees in her bedroom, so I won't wake the Noodle.